Hogwarts Reads The Sorcerer's Stone
by iwannabescotty
Summary: Your typical Umbridge out to get Harry finds the books and has to read them out loud to Hogwarts. Though in this case if they don't they will never be allowed out of the castle. And only Tonks, Shaklebolt, Fudge, Percy, and Lupin are the extra characters here. The other's didn't have logical reasons to be there so I couldn't put them in. Did my best with it hope somebody likes it
1. Chapter 1

**No Sirius is not in here and neither are the Weasleys not currently attending Hogwarts, mostly because I couldn't make sense of why they would come to Hogwarts or why Fudge would accept the fact of them being in on the reading. REally I am pushing it with pulling Lupin in but I felt Harry needed somebody.**

**Ok I highlighted the above because in my first review somebody seemed to feel I didn't include them because I thought they were unimportant characters with is TOTALLY NOT true. If interested here is my reasoning:**

I absolutely adore Molley Weasley, cried my heart out when Sirius died, think Arthur's a awesomely crazy eccentric, and would love to bring in Moody also. However, Sirius is a wanted man that can be recognized by Draco Malfoy so he can't come to Hogwarts. Mad Eye Moody is retired, and I can only see one Order member coming to the school and technically they wouldn't do so so openly, but I chose to have it and I chose Lupin cause he seems like he would be the messenger as he has a limit on the amount of 'dignified' places he cold show up at being a werewolf.

I can't get past it in my own writing to make something happen that not logical with the story line for my own purposes. Yes these people are magic, but there is a limit. I am open to logical arguments on how I can put them in, but even Hogwart's magic has to have a limit.

**Anyway book pairings well plus the implied book pairing and ligit movie pairing of Luna/Neville, but romance won't be my main focus so don't get too excited. I am going to try to do all the books as I am stuck in a cold climate for a few months for training so should have plenty of time on my hands.**

**Hope you like it don't really care if you don't since I am writing this to kill time**

* * *

Professor Dolores Umbridge, if she deserved such a title, was pacing the hall furiously. There was no way, _no way_ that that Harry Potter could keep lying like this. She was NOT allowing this boy to get away with this new most grevious slander against the ministry – her ministry. The nerve of him giving an interview about what had hap- supposedly happened to him and that boy. "If only," she thought as she turned retracing her steps in front of Barnabus the Barmy. "If only I could find a record of the truth of Harry Potter's life." Turning back around she walked back again.

"Something that shows the true character of Harry Potter, and what he and his friends have been up to while here at Hogwarts, and what that will lead them to," she turned around once more.

"Something that will force them all to listen to the truth," walking past the piece of wall these thoughts still in her head, she sighed in exasperation and anger she finally turned around once more to see a door had appeared in the wall, one that had definitely not been there moments before. Umbridge stared at the wall startled wondering if she should go through before her toad-like lips (do toads even have lips?) cured into a smile. She of course had every right to go anywhere within Hogwarts she was the High Inquisitor after all.

She walked straight over and wrenched open the door. The room simply looked like an abandoned classroom, there was only a little table in the middle of the room. Piled upon the table was a set of books. Umbridge approached the table and looked down at the books. She let out a high pitch giggle that made its way into a full blown cackle. Sweeping up the books Umbridge ran straight to her office to floo the minister.

She had him now. Or at least she thought she did.

Harry James Potter was sitting at breakfast the following morning having a very nice conversation about a certain black dog and what he and his friends got up to back during the good old days with his two best friends, and Remus Lupin, who had come to have a word with Dumbledore after breakfast, when it all happened. The event that would change his, his friends, some acquantinces, and probably the entire wizarding worlds lives forever. The minister of magic, Cornelius Fudge walked in with an ecstatic looking Umbridge, followed by Percy Weasley, Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Amelia Bones. This event of course got everybody in the great hall including the trio and Lupin's immediate attention.

Dumbledore stood as the minister approached him.

"Minister, how nice to see you so abruptly this morning," said Dumbledore with a smile offering a polite nod. The minister however simply gave Dumbledore a triumphant smile.

"We will see how nice it is Dumbledore," the minister said in an undertone to him then turning around said.

"Students of Hogwarts I will be taking a portion of your time this morning in telling you the truth about these lies that have spread around by a certain Hogwarts student. In fact all the events of the last 4 years and of future events that these events will lead to, have come to life thanks to a special bit of magic. I will leave it to your High Inquisitor to explain," Fudge said gesturing to Umbridge who made her "hem, hem" noise and stepped forward. Harry had paled, and Ron and Hermione were shooting him frightened looks.

"Yesterday night I came across these seven books, and realized to my great surprise that they entailed the life of one Harry James Potter through his years here at Hogwarts, as well as a book on what would be his seventh year though it seems he has dropped out of Hogwarts at that point."

Harry stopped mid-way from standing up to yell in his defense at the last statement. A confused exchange of looks between Harry and his surrounding company followed suite, as well as a stir among the teachers except Snape who all found Mr. Potter to be an excellent student with no reason to drop out. Hermione though looked down right scandalized at the news, and gave Harry a disappointed stare.

"Hermione, I am sure Harry has a good reason," said Ron in a whisper bracingly. Harry gave him a gracious look while Hermione looked at him skeptically.

"Like what exactly," Hermione asked. Both Harry and Ron looked at each other for a second trying to figure that out then shrugged.

"Probably because of You-Know-Who," Ginny said from the other side of the table beside the twins. The twins turned with a bit of a surprised look to their sister. Hermione oh-ed as the trio and company looked uneasy realizing Ginny was probably right.

"Unfortunately I have been unable to read this myself because it seems the books are spelled so they can only be read in order, and in the presence of Hogwarts according to the inscription on the binding." Umbridge continued to explain a hint of annoyance in her tone. Much murmuring broke out at this, and even Dumbledore looked slightly confused at this news.

"I do not believe it is your right Dolores to read the personal affairs of students to their classmates," Dumbledore said casting a quick glance to Harry that didn't meet his eyes. Harry was slightly surprised Dumbledore was standing up for him after all that had been happening this year.

"It is when said student is spreading slanderous lies to their classmates, that endanger the wizarding world," Fudge snapped. Dumbledore spoke up quickly before Harry had a chance.

"What if these books show that Harry has not been lying then?" Dumbledore asked Fudge as though reasoning with a child. Fudge flustered for a moment before snapping back again.

"By the name of the forefathers of Hogwarts, Dumbledore, no one will leave this castle until the books are read," Fudge declared. Outside the doors to Hogwarts slammed ominously causing a few students to jump up but none so much as Harry, and Dumbledore. Harry turned to look at the headmaster, who for once was looking at him, in the eye, a twinkle of surprise laying there.

"Jumpy, much Potter," Malfoy started, but the Slytherin laughter was cut off by Dumbledore.

"Harry, did you feel anything in particular?" Dumbledore asked him calmly.

"Yeah, I got this tingle down my spine, and it felt like an invisible wind or something went by," said Harry flabbergasted. Snape looked at Harry in utter disbelief. Even Kingsley was looking at Harry with surprise. Dumbledore nodded slowly.

"Harry, if you would be so kind as to check the front doors real quick, since you are already up," Dumbledore said in his inscrutable voice that had everybody raising eyebrows.

"Kingsley, accompany Po- the boy," said Fudge, and then turned to Dumbledore, "Now see here, Dumbledore. What is going on?" Dumbledore held up a hand for patience to the minister and watched as Harry and Kingsley left the Great Hall for the doors.

The Hall heard banging, and what sounded like a couple of spells being thrown, before Harry, and Kingsley returned.

"Minister, Headmaster," addressed Kingsley in his deep booming voice. "It seems the doors will not open."

"What?!" asked Fudge looking positively alarmed. "You did this." Fudge pointed an accusing finger at Dumbledore.

"Actually, my dear minister this was your doing. You invoked the powers of Hogwarts itself by swearing upon its forefathers names. The forefathers were from a time of great honor, and so such spells are around the castle that any oath made by their name is bound to be kept," Dumbledore explained slowly. Hermione nodded along with the Headmaster as though she had known all along.

"Let me guess," said Ron, "Hogwarts: A History?" Hermione nodded energetically.

"See, it is a very useful resource," Hermione said smugly. Harry and Ron rolled their eyes.

"Does that mean Headmaster," piped up Tonks, "that none of us will be leaving the castle until we read all those books?" Dumbledore nodded solemnly. A few people gasped, others groaned, and murmuring broke out across the Great Hall.

Harry took all this in and slowly his heart began to compress as he realized just what all went on last year, as well as this year, and the years before that. He gulped back a lump in his throat as Umbridge started up again.

"Well, if it is so then it is so, this being the case classes have been canceled until these books are done by order of the Minister, and myself, and will be continued on the completion of these books. As such you will be in here until curfew at which time we will break, and then you will be expected to be back here promptly every morning to continue reading. For everyone late there will be fifty points taken from that house," Umbridge stated as others looked on in horror. They had to sit here for the entirety of this, and they thought lessons were bad. Then again a few of them began to think this would explain what all the Golden Trio had been up to, which was probably the greatest of all of Hogwart's mysteries.

"Now minister if you and the rest of my colleagues will have a seat I would be happy to begin with the book on Mr. Potter's first year," said Umbridge, at which the minister sat down with Kingsley, Mdm. Bones, and Tonks, who caught Remus' eye and winked causing a slight blush to appear on his face. Harry took note of this curious interaction a small smile on his face, which dropped into a frown as Umbridge read the chapter title.

**"CHAPTER ONE, The Boy Who Lived"** said Umbridge as excited whispers went around the room.

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.**

"You're quite welcome," said Fred Weasley pompously.

"Indeed," said George.

**They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.**

"How are they related to you again mate?" asked Ron thinking that strange and mysterious was the best summation of Harry's life along with the word dangerous.

"No idea," Harry murmured distractedly wondering just how much time they were going to spend on the Dursleys.

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills.**

"What?" said a few purebloods. Hermione gave a quick explanation.

**He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors.**

_Well she hasn't changed_, Snape thought to himself.

**The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.**

Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys snorted loudly all having heard about the precious Diddydumdikins.

**The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it.**

The Great Hall leaned in, in interest.

**They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters.**

"What's wrong with the Potters?" asked Neville looking at Harry.

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister,**

_That would have been nice_, thought both Snape and Harry, unbeknownst to each other they had just thought the same thing.

**because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband**

"Her what?" asked Remus and McGonagall in a dangerously low voice. The people closest to them shifted away slightly.

**were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be.**

"That's not even a word," huffed a young Ravenclaw.

**The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.**

"Isn't that the truth who would want to be friends with Harry," said Ron as sarcastically as possible getting a punch from Harry, and a laugh from Harry's other friends. Harry felt glad that at least his friends thought it was hilarious, even if at the moment most of the wizarding parents had taken a very Dursleyish view of him.

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work,**

"Oh, man I knew I picked up the wrong tie this morning," said George examining his Gryffindor tie.

"Yep, no where near boring enough," said Fred.

**and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair.**

"What a wonderful child," said McGonagall sarcastically exchanging a look down the table with Professor Sprout. Snape shook his head wondering about the reaction for when they saw how spoiled Harry's own homelife was.

**None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window.**

Dumbledore chuckled to himself.

**At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls.**

**"Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house.**

"Don't encourage that sort of behavior, those years are just as critical as any other in fact more in some aspects for childhood development," said Madam Pomfrey irritably. Everybody was looking at her in bewilderment.

"Well, they are," she said going a little pink. Everybody turned back to the book.

**He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive.**

**It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar — a cat reading a map.**

"Animagus," said a few people around the room, some shooting suspicious looks at McGonagall. McGonagall on the other hand had realized what day it was and was looking sadly down at the table, and then shooting even sadder looks at Harry. Harry noticed and a feeling of dread began to settle in his stomach.

**For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen — then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive — no, ****_looking _****at the sign; cats couldn't read maps ****_or _****signs.**

"Not unless they're Minnie," said the twins and Lee Jordan happily. McGonagall glowered at them.

**Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.**

"He's got a bit of a one track mind," said Seamus.

**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind**

"Oh no," the twins gasped in mock shock.

**by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks. Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes**

"Hey cloaks aren't funny looking!" yelled an outraged Slytherin 6th year.

"They are to many muggles," said Professor Burbage. The Slytherin table scoffed in general at muggles, and their lot.

**— the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by.**

"You're a weirdo," commented Collin Creevy, his brother Dennis chortled.

**They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak!**

Ginny stole a glance at Harry recalling him in his own emerald green dress robes, and how they had brought out his eyes, as he danced with another girl. Harry glanced at Ginny and she jerked her head back around to the book. Harry internally shrugged to himself and turned back as well.

**The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt —these people were obviously collecting for something… yes, that would be it.**

"Bless them doing their best to ignore the obvious and wave things off, even those who know about magic," said Professor Sprout airily.

**The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills.**

"Well, that didn't take long," said Seamus to Dean, who chortled.

**Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. ****_He _****didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead.**

"What's so weird about owls?" asked a Hufflepuff pureblood.

"Muggles don't use owls for mail like we do, so it is odd to see them in daylight which isn't their usual hunting time," explained Susan Bones knowledgeably. Amelia smiled proudly at her niece.

**Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime. Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more.**

"Very productive," said the twins impersonating their brother Percy impeccably. Said brother scowled at them, and turned back to the notes he was taking on the book.

**He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road**

"That can't be right," said Harry in mock horror.

**to buy himself a bun from the bakery.**

"Oh, ok then," said Harry in relief, the Gryffindors laughed.

**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag,**

"Not just a doughnut, but a large one, yeah that's helping matters" said Lavender Brown to Pavarti Patil.

**that he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

**"The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard —"**

Everybody began looking at Harry, and whispering, wondering if this was the day. The day that made him famous.

**" — yes, their son, Harry —"**

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead.**

"If only," Harry muttered so low that no one could hear, though Remus and Ron shot him odd looks.

**Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it.**

**He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking… no, he was being stupid.**

"Nothing new there is it?" said Ron to Harry trying to get him to lose some of the tension in his body. It worked slightly as Harry smiled at him.

**Potter wasn't such an unusual name.**

"It is in the wizarding world," said Draco as a few other purebloods nodded.

"Really?" asked Harry honestly curious.

"The Potters are considered one of the oldest of wizarding families, much like the Malfoys," Dumbledore explained. Harry and Draco glared at this comparison but dropped the conversation.

**He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew ****_was _****called Harry. He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold.**

"Harvey Potter," said Fred thoughtfully.

"Or Harold Potter the boy who lived," George said in the same tone. They turned and looked at each other. "Nah."

"I like Harry," Ginny said suddenly, "Just Harry." She wouldn't meet Harry's eyes after she said it but Harry beamed at her suddenly feeling a warmness in his midsection something he had been missing for months now lost in his anger.

**There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her — if ****_he'd _****had a sister like that**

A sister like what, Snape snarled internally. A scowl growing on his face that caused the few who caught it to become unnerved.

**… but all the same, those people in cloaks…**

**He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.**

**"Sorry," he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell.**

"Wow, he actually apologized," said Harry, "I guess its just me then." Hermione shot him a worried look, and saw Ron and Lupin doing the same.

**It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!"**

The great hall chuckled merrily imagining the scenario.

**And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.**

"How?" asked Harry, Ron, and the twins, and then turned and grinned at each other.

**Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled.**

"I am going to hug your uncle if I ever run into him in the middle of the street," Lee told Harry. Harry laughed at him.

**He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.**

"That is not good," said Luna suddenly from the Ravenclaw table her voice not quite as airy as usual, "Without imagination there is no life, only existence."

The hall sat in stunned silence at these words, until finally Dumbledore spoke up.

"Ms. Lovegood, I must say you are quite right." Dumbledore's twinkle in his eye was on full blast, and he and Luna were smiling at each other. Harry and most of the DA smiled too despite themselves at their crazy little classmate/friend.

**As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw—and it didn't improve his mood — was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes.**

"McGonagall!" shouted most of Gryffindor with the exception of the twins who shouted "Minnie!" McGonagall shushed them but the effect was lost by the fond smile playing on her face for her Gryffindors.

**"Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly.**

**The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look.**

The whole hall laughed at this all having experienced that stern look.

**Was this normal cat behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.**

**Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!").**

A round of sad disbelieving shakes of the head greeted this news.

**Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:**

**_"And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?"_**

**_"Well, Ted," said the weatherman,_**

"That's my dad," Tonks mentioned to Kingsley smiling. Kingsley smiled back. Remus catching the exchange bit back a growl, and then realizing what he was doing looked away. What was with him?

**_"I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early — it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight."_**

**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters…**

"Congratulation on putting it together finally, you are not a complete dunderhead," said Harry loudly. The Great Hall laughed.

**Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er — Petunia, dear — you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"**

**As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.**

_I wish_, both Snape and Harry thought to themselves again.

**"No," she said sharply. "Why?"**

**"Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls… shooting stars… and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today…"**

"Vernon Dursley, for starters," said Fred getting a round of laughter.

**"****_So?_****" snapped Mrs. Dursley.**

**"Well, I just thought… maybe… it was something to do with… you know… ****_her _****crowd."**

The Slytherin table was practically growling at this not finding it in anyway ironic that most of them had just thought the same about muggles.

**Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare.**

"Coward," commented Neville. Harry smiled derisively.

**Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their son — he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?"**

**"I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.**

**"What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?"**

"Well now that we have gone through all the male H names, except for yours, I think you got the best one mate," said Ron to Harry bracingly. Harry smirked at him.

**"Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me."**

"Nobody asked you," said Hermione, and Ginny together sharing a grin.

**"Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."**

**He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept**

"Impressive for a man that size," commented a 7th year Hufflepuff causing his neighbors to snicker.

**to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something.**

**Was he imagining things?**

"No, say it isn't so," whined Lee, as those within hearing range snickered.

**Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did… if it got out that they were related to a pair of — well, he didn't think he could bear it.**

"Oy, Harry," said Dean leaning forward around Ron, "This stops once they adopt you and everything right?" Harry grimaced.

"Well . . ," he said. 'Hem, hem' Umbridge coughed to return attention and for once Harry was thankful to hear it, though he was receiving worried looks from a few of the people around the Gryffindor table.

**The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters ****_were _****involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley.**

"Who'd want to go near those two muggles period," said Malfoy loudly; he was hoping to get a reaction from Potter and was thoroughly disappointed. Harry personally agreed with him for once, but didn't say anything.

**The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind… He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on — he yawned and turned over — it couldn't affect ****_them_****…**

**How very wrong he was.**

At this point Harry was getting quite a few worried looks from people. These Dursley's were obviously some of the worse sort of muggles, and were as prejudice against magic as it seemed Death Eaters were against non-magic.

**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive.**

"That's a little creepy," muttered a second year Hufflepuff to her companion.

**It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.**

"How could she stay still that long?" asked Seamus incredulously. The surrounding Gryffindor boys shrugged, and the girls rolled their eyes though a few were wondering the same thing.

**A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground.**

"Apparated?" guessed Dennis Creevy.

"No, that makes a loud cracking noise," said Harry thinking about this summer, what with Mundungus and the twins. Harry looked thoughtful for two seconds then leaned over and murmured so just Ron and Hermione could hear.

"My cloak?" Hermione's eyes went wide in realization as Ron's went wide in surprise. Hermione nodded furiously before turning back to the book.

**The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed.**

**Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt.**

"Dumbledore," exclaimed most the students in the hall to the minister and Umbridge's disapproval. However, none of the Slytherins cheered, nor in fact did Harry, though Dumbledore's army did with extra zeal.

**He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.**

"Has it professor? Your nose that is." asked Lee Jordan suddenly.

"As a matter of fact it has," said Dumbledore, but he didn't elaborate as he turned back to Umbridge who continued reading. Lee shrugged it off.

**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."**

**He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop.**

"Wicked," said Ron, "I want one." Dumbledore's eyes sparkled mysteriously as half the hall agreed with Ron.

**He clicked it again — the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer,**

"Deluminator, actually," commented Dumbledore.

**until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.**

**"Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."**

"Told you so," said George looking smug.

"I think everybody knew George," said Harry blandly, causing George to fake being affronted.

**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one.**

"Is it emerald cloak day?" asked Pavarti to Lavender. Lavender just shook her head looking at the book she was concerned more with what day it was. The entirety of the Ravenclaw table and most of the Head table was looking somber and shooting looks at Harry. If Dumbledore and McGonagall were there at Harry's relatives house, and all this excitement was going on it could only be one day.

**Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled.**

**"How did you know it was me?" she asked.**

**"My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."**

A few students chuckled, but not many since most had figured out the importance of the day.

**"You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.**

**"All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."**

**Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.**

**"Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no — even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls… shooting stars… Well, they're not completely stupid.**

"Hey!" said a couple of Muggleborns a little insulted. McGonagall tinged a little pink.

"I must apologize, that is not how I meant for that to sound, I find muggles to be quite ingenious in ways of getting on without magic. I simply meant that they tend to turn a blind eye to small magical things, but I- my phrasing was horrible, so I am sorry," said McGonagall sincerely. Dumbledore smiled fondly at her. Snape smirked at her to which she promptly glared.

**They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent — I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."**

**"You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."**

"Oh no it's that day!" exclaimed Hannah Abbott quickly covering her mouth from embarrassment. The Great Hall had grown somber as everyone had figured out by this point the day it was in the book.

**"I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors."**

**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really ****_has _****gone, Dumbledore?"**

**"It certainly seems so,"**

"You said it yourself there Dumbledore," said Fudge triumphantly.

"No, I believe I said it seemed so, and I wish in this case that things had been as they had seemed." said Dumbledore solemnly. Fudge bit back a reply waving for Umbridge to continue.

**said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?"**

"A what?" asked the purebloods.

**"A ****_what_****?"**

**"A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."**

"Me too," piped up a little Ravenclaw, muggleborn first year who promptly blushed as the hall turned to look at her. She felt a little better though when she noticed Dumbledore kindly beaming at her.

**"No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops. "As I say, even if You-Know-Who ****_has _****gone —"**

**"My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense — for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name:**

"Oh we all know his name why don't you go on." Said Umbridge in frustration.

"What seems to be the problem Dolores?" asked Fudge gruffly.

"Well the words have been appearing in the book as I read them and well it won't continue until I say the next word." Explained Umbridge.

"Well say it then, now we don't have all day," said Fudge not understanding Dolores's problem.

_VVv-oo- __**Voldemort**_**."**

The Great Hall flinched except the obvious people, and Harry let out an annoyed breath beginning to seethe again on the inside.

**Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name."**

**"I know you haven't," said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, ****_Voldemort_****, was frightened of."**

**"You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."**

**"Only because you're too — well —****_noble _****to use them."**

**"It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."**

The students collectively gave the book a semi-disgusted look as Dumbledore chortled to himself.

**Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said "The owls are nothing next to the ****_rumors _****that are flying around. You know what they're saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"**

**It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss,**

It seemed the hall was anxious to hear the discussion as everybody leaned in. Harry annoyance grew at this. It wasn't like they didn't all know the story. It was like they wanted to hear about his parents died. Harry rubbed his scar as it stung slightly. Remus shot him a concerned look he missed.

**the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer.**

**"What they're ****_saying_****," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are — are — that they're — ****_dead_****."**

"A moment if you please Dolores; Minister, you certainly will allow us to honor the dead with a moment of silence?" Dumbledore asked. The Fudge gave a small nod as the hall collectively went silent most of them bowing their heads except Malfoy and his friends. Malfoy looked gloatingly over at Snape in an attempt to share in on the amusement but found the professor looking down and quiet as well seeming to whisper to himself. Malfoy was taken aback.

Dumbledore indicated for Umbridge to continue after a minute though Harry's head did not lift up even as he heard her continue.

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.**

**"Lily and James… I can't believe it… I didn't want to believe it…**

"Neither did I," said Lupin quietly to himself.

**Oh, Albus…"**

**Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know… I know…" he said heavily.**

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry. But he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke — and that's why he's gone."**

**Dumbledore nodded glumly.**

**"It's — it's ****_true_****?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done… all the people he's killed… he couldn't kill a little boy?**

Furtive looks were being shot between Harry and the book, but Harry was too busy giving the table surface an inch by inch examination to notice.

**It's just astounding… of all the things to stop him… but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"**

**"We can only guess." said Dumbledore. "We may never know."**

"Yeah, you do," said Harry a little darkly finally looking up and straight at Dumbledore who was again ignoring his gaze. It was just loud enough for Lupin, Ron, Hermione, the twins, Ginny, and Neville to hear. His tone startled them.

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it.**

"Is Dumbledore crying?" asked Neville sounding surprised. Harry's anger seemed to melt suddenly at Neville's words. It did sound like Dumbledore was at least on the verge. It made Harry wonder.

**It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"**

**"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me ****_why _****you're here, of all places?"**

**"I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now."**

**"You don't mean – you ****_can't _****mean the people who live ****_here_****?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four.**

Professor McGonagall glared at Dumbledore showing that she still did not approve of his decision.

**"Dumbledore — you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son — I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets.**

"That horrible child," said Sprout looking absolutely sick at Dudley's behavior, as did most of the other staff, and students. Harry however was grinning a little sadly to himself at McGonagall's attempt to try to sway Dumbledore's decision.

**Harry Potter come and live here!"**

**"It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter."**

"A letter?" asked Hermione incredulously.

**"A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall.**

Harry and Ron grinned at Hermione who turned slightly pink.

**"Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He'll be famous — a legend — I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in the future**

"Merlin, no," said Harry deadpanned. Ron laughed, as the twins looked thoughtful.

"You know that sounds like a great idea," said Fred exchanging a look at George as Harry gave them a hard glare.

"We could sale giant banners made with Harry's picture on it," said George.

"Well, there goes the whole idea who wants a giant banner with a scrawny bespectacled midget on it," sighed Fred in mock annoyance. George mirrored his brother's disappointment. The other present Weasleys and Lupin laughed at them while Hermione and Harry shook their heads in fond amusement.

**— there will be books written about Harry — every child in our world will know his name!"**

**"Exactly." said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head.**

"Too late," said Snape snidely under his breath.

**Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?"**

**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes — yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.**

"Eeewww," said the majority of the student body, ending with one bright young Hufflepuff in the back yelling "No, offense professor." Dumbledore simply smiled.

**"Hagrid's bringing him."**

**"You think it —****_wise _****— to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"**

"I would trust him with my life," said Harry seriously to McGonagall, who again looked a bit embarrassed with her past self.

**"I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.**

Ron raised an eyebrow at Harry, who ignored him, trying to figure out why he was so mad for just saying the same thing as Dumbledore.

**"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to — what was that?"**

"Hagrid," said McGonagall down the table, "I am sorry. I must have forgotten myself that night with everything going on. I have complete faith in you and your loyalties."

"Is a'righ profess'ur," said Hagrid with a grin.

"Wow, Minerva two apologies and we haven't been through the first chapter," said Snape coolly. Minerva leveled him with a look, but held back a retort.

**A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky — and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.**

**If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was** **almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide.**

"HAGRID!" yelled the students happily, especially at the Gryffindor table, though the Slytherin table remained silent. Umbridge seemed angry, and was probably thinking nasty thoughts about what she would like to do with half breeds.

**He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so ****_wild _****— long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.**

"Wow, he sounded downright scary until that last bit," said Lee Jordan to the twins.

**"Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?"**

**"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got him, sir."**

Remus chuckled to himself reflecting on Sirius and the day he got that bike. Harry raised an eyebrow.

"I'll tell you later," Lupin promised.

**"No problems, were there?"**

**"No, sir — house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."**

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep.**

"Aaawww," cooed the girls in the hall. Harry promptly went red, and the surrounding Gryffindor boys promptly laughed at his expense, even Lupin chuckled.

**Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.**

Harry brushed his hair down over his scar staring intently down at the table again.

**"Is that where —?" whispered Professor McGonagall.**

**"Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever."**

**"Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"**

**"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground.**

"Seriously sir," asked Justin Finch-Fletchley quite suddenly.

"Why, yes Mr. Finch-Fletchley," said Dumbledore with a smile. A few murmured 'wicked' s made themselves around the room.

**Well — give him here, Hagrid — we'd better get this over with."**

**Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house.**

**"Could I — could I say good-bye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss.**

Another round of cooing by the girls went around the great hall. Tonks was smirking broadly at Harry who caught her at it and rolled his eyes. Remus glanced over as well and Tonks winked at him again causing him to blush, and look back at Umbridge.

Harry raised an eyebrow at him which he ignored, as Tonks snickered.

**Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.**

**"Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "You'll wake the Muggles!"**

**"S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it —Lily an' James dead — an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles —"**

**"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm**

Madam Pomfrey snorted then coughed to try and cover it up. McGonagall gave her an appraising look.

"Well, honestly Minerva comforting was never your strong point." A few people around the hall snickered at that as a smile tugged at the corner of McGonagall's mouth.

**as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two.**

"Wait, you left him on the doorstep in November?!" exclaimed Hermione almost jumping out of her seat.

"I assure you Ms. Granger there were warming charms on the blankets as well as other protective wards. I would not leave Harry with such little protection. Hermione nodded in acceptance and sat back down.

Harry's mind however began to whirl. Dumbledore said he would never leave him without protection, but he won't acknowledge his existence. And another thing just occurred to him every other student in the hall was always addressed by their last name but usually especially when other's weren't around he was just Harry.

**For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.**

**"Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."**

(me: well here's your orphaned relative whose parents I was very fond of that can wait and be discovered by you in the morning since babies never wake up scared and alone in the middle of the night. I am going to get drunk and party all night long since I am joining the party after midnight, cheers)

**"Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I best get this bike back to Sirius. G'night, Professor McGonagall — Professor Dumbledore, sir."**

"Does he mean Sirius Black?" asked Terry Boot.

"Yes, he does," said Dumbledore. Terry looked like he wanted to ask more but was silenced by a look from a fuming Umbridge tired of all the interruptions.

**Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.**

**"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.**

**Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange**

"I really want one," said Ron in all. Hermione rolled her eyes at him in amusement.

**and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.**

**"Good luck, Harry," he murmured.**

"I may need more than that," said Harry mildly.

"Will we do?" asked Hermione indicating herself and Ron. Harry gave them a very serious look.

"More than do," he said then turned back to the book, just noticing Ron's ears turn a little red and Hermione give him a glowing smile.

**He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.**

**A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on,**

"Aaaawwwww," was the collective thought.

**not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles,**

"Charming," said Ernie MacMillan

**nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley…**

"Yeah, cousins are fun like that," said Adrian Pucey from the Slytherin table sharing a knowing look with Terence Higgs.

**He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter — the boy who lived!"**

"That is the end of that chapter," said Umbridge.

"Dolores, may I read the book so as to give your voice a break?" asked McGonagall with a false sweetness.

"How thoughtful of you," commented Umbridge passing the book over and taking her spot next to the minister at the head table.


	2. Chapter 2 - Part I

**Ok this isn't the whole chapter just a warning. I had some parts get pretty drawn out so I am breaking up the chapter into two parts will try to get them both out this week though. I am heading home for the holidays and for some weird reason my family misses me so I doubt I will have time to update. I will try to get something done though so I can get chapter 3 out as soon as I get back. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

McGonagall stood up and began to read.

**The Vanishing Glass**

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all.**

"It never does," put in Harry with a heavy sigh. The place was just so boring.

**The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets **

The room at large got a laugh out of that.

**— but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too. **

"Why not?" asked Hermione to Harry.

"Uh, camera shy," said Harry though he made it sound more like a question. Hermione didn't seem convinced.

**Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day. **

**"Up! Get up! Now!" **

"Lovely," said Alicia Spinnet.

**Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again. **

**"Up!" she screeched. **

"She sounds more like a banshee than a woman," commented Seamus with a shuddered.

**Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. **

"I love that sound," said Ron dreamily his stomach growling. Hermione giggled at him while Ginny rolled her eyes. Harry was slowly getting tenser and tenser as he realized the books were in fact going to talk about his home life.

**He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.**

"That's a ridiculously good memory you got there mate," said Dean sounding impressed. Even Seamus was nodding in agreement.

"You have no idea," commented Ron on Harry's behalf. Harry at the moment couldn't respond because lead had just entered his stomach as he realized his first secret was going to be revealed.

His friends noticed his grim look, and began to feel worried themselves.

**His aunt was back outside the door. **

**"Are you up yet?" she demanded. **

**"Nearly," said Harry. **

**"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday." **

"Hey, Harry aren't you like eleven here?" asked Katie Bell.

"10," said Harry blankly.

"And she's having you cook, my mother didn't let me in the kitchen when she was cooking until I was 14," said Katie surprised good-naturedly. Harry grunted causing the concern level of those around him to shoot up.

**Harry groaned. **

**"What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door. **

**"Nothing, nothing…" **

**Dudley****'s birthday — how could he have forgotten? Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, **

"How can you do that so nonchalantly?" asked Ron as he shuddered.

**put them on. Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept. **

McGonagall slammed the book down with a deafening thud a more impressive feat given the size of the book. The entirety of the Great Hall had gone incredibly still and silent. Lupin had unconsciously grabbed onto Harry's shoulder his grip a little tight but Harry hardly noticed as he waited for the boom. The light in Dumbledore's eye had gone completely out, and Snape's face held a bit of surprise in it. Amelia Bones who had taken a seat at the Hufflepuff table next to her neice had brought out a notebook and quill from her purse, and seemed to be writing something down. She waved Shacklebolt over.

"YOU," McGonagall began at Dumbledore then stopped and switched to looking at Harry, "But I checked Mr. Potter. After the first time your letter was not received I checked the address and it said you were in a bedroom." McGonagall's voice was half fearful, as if afraid she had made a mistake.

"I just thought you knew," said Harry vaguely. "I suppose it will tell you about after my first letter they moved me to the room thinking it would throw you off."

"But why didn't you tell us?" asked Hermione in a distraught voice looking at Harry with pleading eyes as she held tight onto Ron's arm.

"I don't know," said Harry honestly. "after I came to Hogwarts it didn't seem to matter."

"Is there anything else we should know Mr. Potter?" Everybody jerked there head around in surprise as it was Snape who had spoken up.

"Like what?" asked Harry. None of the teachers corrected his lack of the use of sir.

"What do you think, Mr. Potter?" Harry wouldn't meet Snape's eyes.

"Shouldn't we continue, if we keep this up it will be the holiday's before we are allowed out of the castle." Said Harry. Snape gave Harry a weary look as McGonagall picked the book back up.

"No," said McGonagall. "I believe this has waited long enough. If you will follow me Mr. Potter."

"We are coming too," said Hermione forcefully getting up. Ron quickly followed suite. Lupin raised up silently giving Harry's shoulder a squeeze and room to get up. McGonagall nodded before turning as Dumbledore and Snape strode past her and into the chamber off to the side of the Great Hall.

"Professors, I hope there is no need for me, but I would like to be present just in case," spoke up Amelia Bones having made her way over with Kingsley at her heels. "Any objections minister?"

Fudge looked up startled having been caught in shock until just moments ago, though Umbridge was seething beside him apparently with words raging to get out. He shook his head in silence and allowed Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, Madam Bones, Kingsley, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Lupin, and a sneaky Tonks who grabbed onto Lupin's arm just as he brought up the rear to go have a private discussion. They left the great hall humming with murmurs behind them.

Dumbledore strode over and stood in a shadowed corner staring out the window and suddenly looking his age. Snape took up sentinel by the fire staring into its depths a conflicted expression upon his face. McGonagall stood straight in front of the fire gesturing for Harry, Ron, and Hermione to take a seat in the sofa before the fire. No sooner had the three sat down then Ron threw a brotherly arm around Harry's shoulders, and Hermione leaned her head against him her hair brushing Ron's hand. Ron's ears tinged pink but neither pulled away their concern right now was Harry. Madam Bones found her way to an armchair and turned it away from the fire and towards McGonagall and Harry with Shacklebolt standing behind her. Lupin stood behind Harry to support him but grabbing onto the back of the sofa to support himself. Tonks grabbed onto Remus's arm and to her surprise he didn't pull away. She gave Harry's hair a quick ruffle causing him to turn his head and give her a small smile. She turned her hair a shocking white-blonde, before he turned back around.

"Now, Harry," began McGonagall her voice a little forced as it was filled with apprehension. "We have already found out about the cupboard is there anything else we should no about like did they feed you right, were they ever exceptionally cruel to you, and did they ever hit you?"

Harry shifted uncomfortably again.

"Harry," said Hermione quietly leaning her head back so she can look him in the eyes. "You need to tell somebody Harry. We are going to find out bits of it anyways from these books. Wouldn't you rather we found out first from you instead?"

"Yeah, I guess," said Harry his voice barely above a whisper. "Well, when it comes to food. I got enough to live off of though sometimes I was locked in my cupboard and not allowed meals, but I learned quick enough how to sneak out and get food." Harry started, and then stopped as he could have sworn he saw Snape flinch.

"And everything else?" asked Madam Bones patiently. Harry swallowed then he proceeded to tell them about every bad thing that had ever bothered him about the Dursley's until he got to the one time Aunt Marge's dog chased him up the tree when he was interrupted.

The fire in the grate began to spark wildly people looked wildly around first to McGonagall and Dumbledore, but Dumbledore was looking at Snape.

"YOU SAID HE WOULD BE PROTECTED!" yelled Snape quite suddenly, loosing himself completely. "HE WAS NOT TO BE HARMED THAT IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN FIGHTING FOR THIS WHOLE TIME. HIS LIFE THE ONE THAT SHE –" Snape became choked on his words. Everyone except Dumbledore stared at him in bewilderment.

"My life, the one my mother gave for me?" Harry said questioningly. Snape gave him a pained look, but it was the first look that Harry could ever recall of Snape looking him square in the eyes and seeming to see him. Not his father but him.

"I," started Dumbledore, then with a shuddering breathe and a tear falling from his eye. The latter a true shock for the room. "I was wrong Severus." Snape deflated suddenly, but where he deflated McGonagall seemed to take her turn.

"WRONG, WRONG," she shouted. "You were a bit more than wrong on this one Albus. We all believed in you the Potter's believed in you and you let their son go to these beasts while he had a loving godfather who went without trial into Azkaban on your word that he was a secret keeper."

Dumbledore looked shell-shocked and old, very very old. He seemed to nod his head and then looked at Harry who seemed lost for words.

"Harry," he started quietly approaching, their eyes met as Dumbledore grabbed Harry's hands. "I want you to know that you never ever deserved anything these people gave to you. They were family so I wrongly assumed they would at least raise you with care. It seems in trying to protect you and prepare you I have put you in more and more danger. You are a strong lad, but that doesn't mean you should have to be strong when you are among those who are suppose to love you simply so you can survive. I will find a new way I promise, but until then all I can say is that I am truly sorry my boy."

Harry stared at Dumbledore for a minute, and he tried to gather the anger he had felt through the year tried to be mad at him. It was like trying to be mad at one's own grandfather though. Harry may not know legilimancy, but there was something in Dumbledore's eye even without his twinkle that told Harry he truly cared, and he was irrefutably sorry.

"You didn't know," said Harry. Dumbledore gave him a watery smile. Amelia Bones coughed a little awkwardly.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but given what Potter has told me so far. I believe I have a case. And McGonagall I won't ask how you know Mr. Sirius Black is a loving Godfather, but if it is true he went to Azkaban without a case, then I believe there is something I can do about that." Said Madam Bones. Harry smiled at her as Hermione hugged him tightly and Lupin clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Well, Madam Bones," said Ron quiet suddenly, surprising the room by addressing her directly. "If you will continue to listen to the books Harry's third year should prove quite helpful on the matter."

"Ron your right," said Hermione a note of surprise.

"Always the tone of surprise," said Ron in mock reproachfulness. Hermione smiled then hopped up and enveloped Ron in a hug causing his ears to go to red faster than Harry had ever seen.

"Well, then may I suggest we continue the reading as we have been gone long enough, and settle these matter's later." Said Kingsley in his soothing voice. The group nodded and began to troop back up to the Great Hall but Harry hung back a bit.

"Professor Snape," said Harry catching the man just as he was turning to leave. Snape glared at him but for some reason it seemed to lack it's usual bite.

"What, Potter?" he snaped. Harry was undeterred.

"Did you know my mother?" he asked. Snape stared silently. Harry quickly continued. "I mean people talk about my dad all the time, but everybody always said my mom was very sweet and very smart, but I don't know many details."

"What do you expect me to do Potter invite you over for tea, and give you amazing anecdotes about Lil- your mother?" said Snape stumbling over the last few words. Harry stared at him for a moment then shook his head.

"No, that, nevermind," said Harry turning away.

"They are right you know," said Snape quietly. "She was very smart, and very sweet to everybody no matter where they came from."

_She was also very beautiful, _thought Snape to himself.

"Harry come on," yelled Hermione from the doorway. Harry hurried up to go back into the great hall Snape on his heels.

"Well then shall we continue," asked McGonagall picking up the book from where she left off.

**When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike. Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise **

"The stupid whale," muttered Ginny causing George to turn to her.

"Now Ginevra there is no need to go around insulting whales, what did they ever do to you?" he said in a mock gentle scolding. Ginny grinned at him just now noticing that the twins had gone unusually quiet after the cupboard incident.

**— unless of course it involved punching somebody. **

"No!" said Hermione angrily following along with where it would lead to.

**Dudley's favorite punching bag was Harry, **

"Let me guess," said Lupin with a growl, because even though he had heard it from Harry's own mouth it didn't lessen the blow of hearing it again. "His parents never saw fit to interfere." Harry gave a cold laugh, but didn't turn to look at Lupin.

**but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast. **

"Born seeker," said both Angelina Johnson and Minerva McGonagall. Harry smiled slightly finally looking up at his head of house.

**Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age. **

"No, that's just your father's genes he finally hit a growth spurt around I don't know 6th year and became average height, but he was never particularly tall," said Lupin to Harry bracingly. Lupin caught Madam Pomfry nodding with him out of the corner of her eye but she also seemed to try to examine Harry from her position at the Head table.

**He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was. **

"Mr. Potter," said Dumbledore looking up from his hands which he had gone back to staring at upon his return to the Great Hall. He met Harry's eyes again. "Did they ever buy you anything new?"

"No, sir, seemed to think I wasn't worth the cash, and talked about how expensive I was all the time." Said Harry.

"So they never mentioned the fact that funds were being siphoned off the Potter account to pay for your upbringing," said Dumbledore an edge to his voice. Harry looked thunderstruck.

"No, sir, I thought my vault wasn't accessed until I went to Hogwarts."

"Not your vault no, but your current vault is simply your trust fund set up at birth, so that you could learn to be fiscally responsible, and would have some money when it came time to leave Hogwarts. The money your aunt and uncle get is from the Potter account, which was to stay with your parents, but given their unfortunate demise now falls to you on your seventeenth birthday." Said Dumbledore. Harry oh-ed. Malfoy scoffed as if it was the most obvious thing.

"Please, Potter didn't you even know that your family is old magic. Your fortunes not quite as large as mine, of course, but it's thirty times more than a Weasley could even dream about." Drawled Malfoy.

"Mr. Malfoy, ten points from Slytherin," said Professor McGonagall.

"Ronald, honestly close your mouth," whispered Hermione. Ron's mouth had fallen open at Dumbledore upon hearing the words trust fund having seen Harry's bank vault before.

(I'll admit this is a bit of a supposition, but it makes sense to me since in the movies though I don't think they mentioned it in the books, the Potter's had a decent sized house, and this was the house they were hiding in. And considering it always says they went into hiding I figured this house was bought on top of their original house so it could be hidden. That and who gives an eleven year old access to a full vault?)

**Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair, and bright green eyes. He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. **

"Thanks, again for fixing that by the way Hermione," said Harry thinking ahead to their meeting on the train.

"Of course, Harry, anytime." She replied with a smile. Ron shifted a little uncomfortably from in between them.

**The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning. **

Everybody around Harry shot him a look but before they could say anything he held up a hand.

"I was ten and I didn't know any better," he said quickly then they all turned back to the book.

**He had had it as long as he could remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had gotten it. **

**"In the **

Professor McGonagall stopped suddenly, and took a great breathe.

"Something wrong Professor?" asked Hermione her voice dripping with concern. McGonagall released the breathe again and continued reading.

**car crash when your parents died," **

"Oi," exclaimed Lupin quite suddenly taking his hand of Harry's shoulder and slamming it onto the table.

**she had said. "And don't ask questions." **

**_Don't ask questions _****— that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys. **

McGonagall paused for the slightest second glancing sideways down the table at her fellow teachers, as a quiet realization ran among them, that never had Harry asked them a question or asked them for help no matter the class or problems he may have been having.

**Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon. **

**"Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting. **

"Great greeting, I think I will give it a shot, Harry," said Fred with a mischevious grin. Harry gave him a weak smile.

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. **

"They never work. Sirius tried to play a prank on your father once by shaving his hair why he slept though James never knew because by the next morning it was all back like it had never happened." Lupin chuckled.

**Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way — all over the place. **

**Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. **

"Hey, Harry," said Neville suddenly. "Is there anything you can't cook."

"Well, I am best at breakfast foods, but I have cooked a few other dishes, though none of them are anywhere near as good as Mrs. Weasley's," Harry responded. Neville nodded as Ginny started to daydream about Harry cooking for her and had to hide a blush.

**Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel — Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig. **

The hall howled with laughter.

**Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell. **

**"Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year." **

"What a little brat?"

"MR. MALFOY!" yelled McGonagall.

"But, professor even I don't get that many presents," said Draco. A few people giggled at him while other people became impressed at the amount of spoiling that meant Dudley got.

"You know Harry," said Hermione her voice trembling in anger. He and Ron raised an eyebrow at her surprised at her tone. "I think I might have just figured out where your money is going to." Murmuring broke out across the hall as many threw the book a nasty look.

**"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mummy and Daddy." **

**"All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face. Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.**

"Seriously, could this boy get any worse? Turning over tables, really?" asked Ginny in indignation.

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another _two _presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? _Two _more presents. Is that all right" **

**Dudley**** thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty… thirty…" **

The entire Ravenclaw table and a scatter of other people around the room groaned.

**"Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia. **

**"Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then." **

**Uncle Vernon chuckled. **

**"Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" **

McGonagall had to pause for another deep breath in order to keep her anger in. It was not helped by Madam Pomfry tuttering in disappointment beside her.

**He ruffled Dudley's hair. **

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried. **

**"Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him." She jerked her head in Harry's direction. **

"He's in the room you know," said Hermione in annoyance her knuckles going white as she clenched her fist. "Merlin, give me strength"

**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned. **

**"Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this. Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again. **

"Harry," admonished Hermione. Harry just shrugged at her.

**"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested. **

**"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy." **

"Isn't that the aunt you . . ." Ron started with a grin. Harry grinned back and nodded.

"You what?" asked Lupin. The Weasleys snickered all knowing the story, but didn't tell Lupin.

**The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there — or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug. **

**"What about what's-her-name, your friend — Yvonne?" **

**"On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia. **

**"You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer). **

"But that would make you happy," said Neville spitefully. Harry looked a little surprised at Neville but was indescribably touched.

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon. **

**"And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled. **

**"I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening. **

**"I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "… and leave him in the car…" **

"What!?" exclaimed Hermione, and Madam Pomfrey.

**"That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone…" **

"Yes, because that's the concern here," said Ginny in a huff.

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying — it had been years since he'd really cried — but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted. **

**"Dinky Duddydums, **

The hall snorted with laughter.

**don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him. **

**"I… don't… want… him… t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "He always sp-spoils everything!" He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms. **

"The little brat," said Tonks in a hushed voice. She had taken a seat next to Lupin on her return into the Great Hall.

**Just then, the doorbell rang — "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically — and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once. **

_Can't cry in front of our friends now can we, _thought Snape derisively.

**Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside. **

**"I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, "I'm warning you now, boy — any funny business, anything at all — and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas." **

"He better not," grumbled McGonagall in between sentences. The sentiment was shared by several other students including a white-knuckled Ron, and Red-faced Hermione.

**"I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly…" **

**But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did. **

"Well, mate," said Ron bracingly. "Trouble does seem to like you."

"That might be an understatement," said Harry with a sigh.

"Might?" asked Ginny with a quirk of her lips. Harry grinned at her, and looked away just missing the slight blossom of pink in her cheeks.

**The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen. **

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar." **

"Grew back right?" asked Lupin trying his best to smile at Harry. Lupin knew this couldn't be easy for him, but was so full of his own anger he was having trouble comforting the boy.

Harry did smile back at him though and gave him a quick nod.

**Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses. **

"You shouldn't laugh at people with baggy clothes they might be hiding a Cronklesmort," said Luna dreamily. Most the hall except a few DA members looked oddly at her. Harry kept grinning. He didn't know what it was, but as things seemed to come out, and people yelled in indignation for him, made light of it, or even said just crazy things, it just didn't seem so bad anymore.

**Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off. He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, **

McGonagall hmphed, at this before struggling onward to whatever next horror awaited one of her favorite cubs.

**even though he had tried to explain that he _couldn't _explain how it had grown back so quickly. **

**Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls). **

"Ewww," shrieked Lavender Brown with a equally disgusted looking Pavarti Patil beside her.

**The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished. **

"Thank goodness," whispered Hermione.

**On the other hand, **

The majority of the hall groaned at those words making Umbridge look more and more sour by the moment. Things were not going to plan these people weren't suppose to feel sorry for Potter, they weren't suppose to support him. How could this be happening right under her and the minister's nose?

The said minister seemed unable to look up at the reading, a sense of shame had began to surround him as he slowly realized he had attacked a fifteen year old boy who had gone through at the very least neglect at the hand of his guardians, because he the Minister of Magic had felt threatened. He had felt threatened by a child.

"Sorry to interrupt Professor but, well may I suggest we summon up lunch, and eat while we continue to read." Dumbledore said.

"Very well," said Fudge coming out of his reverie.

"Ms. Tonks, Mr. Shaklebolt, if you would like to take a seat at the end of the Gryffindor table you are welcome to have lunch." Tonks and Kingsley nodded having been standing to this point against the far wall due to the limited space at the head table.


	3. Chapter 2 - Part II

**Alright was determined to get this to you by today and managed to pull it off. Hopefully nothing conflicts I didn't check and proof like I usually do, but I wanted to get it to you quick. Picks right back up where the last one left off.**

**Starts with McGonagall reading.**

* * *

Food appeared on the table at Dumbledore's suggestion though many people took a while to grab the food as their interest in the book over road their hunger. Even Ron was barely paying attention spilling potato across the table as he brought it to his plate because he was more intent on paying attention to Professor McGonagall's readings.

**he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney. **

"Whoa, did you apparate?" asked Ron looking impressed as he grabbed a piece of roasted chicken.

"No, I believe Mr. Potter may have flown," said Dumbledore. "As I understand it his mother showed a similar skill when performing accidental magic."

"Still that's pretty cool Harry," said Collin Creevy from down the table. Harry flushed at the compliment as McGonagall continued with a small smile.

**The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard) was jump behind the big trash cans outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid-jump. **

The twins snorted and gave Harry a look.

"You're skinny," said George.

"But not that skinny," finished Fred. Harry gave them a sheepish look and finally began to eat himself.

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room. **

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects. **

"He wasn't fond of complaining about you was he Harry?" asked Lee Jordan sarcastically after a heavy mouth full of potatoes. Harry gave him a wry grin.

**This morning, it was motorcycles. **

**"… roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them. **

**"I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying." **

"Oh, no," the great hall groaned collectively.

"You can't help yourself can you Potter," said Snape. It was meant to sound like an insult, but the subject and the tone suggested otherwise. Harry gave Snape a funny look causing the potions professor to quickly turn his head. There was something changing in the dynamic between himself and his professor.

It suddenly hit Harry that maybe Snape pitied him, the thought left a sour taste in his mouth and a worse look on his face in Snape's direction. The old anger was beginning to rise back up in him. Harry put his fork down forgetting about the food. Hermione sighed when she noticed this having picked up on Harry's habit of not eating when he is upset.

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with a mustache: "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!" **

**Dudley and Piers sniggered. **

**"I know they don't," said Harry. "It was only a dream." **

**But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon — they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas. **

"Cartoon's are like comics but on television right?" asked a surprisingly informed George.

"Yes," said Harry and Hermione looking at him in surprise.

"Well Forge, they might be worth looking into."

"Capital idea Gred," said Fred in a pompous voice. The twins cracked identical evil smiles. The staff table internally shuttered.

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop. It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond. **

The hall roared with laughter as they pictured it.

**Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting him. They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first. **

"Mate, your life is never that easy," remarked Ron looking concerned about what was to come. Harry gave a bit of a heavy sigh, but didn't respond as the thought had just occurred to him about him being a Parseltongue and who in the room might not know.

He shot Lupin a bit of an uneasy look that Lupin just caught before Harry turned back around.

**Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last. **

"That's the Harry Potter luck we know," said Ron lightly. Harry punched his arm good-naturedly, as Ron shot him a grin.

**After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. **

A few people around the room squirmed uncomfortably at the thought. Those people of course being the ones terrified of snakes.

**Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can — but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep. **

"Aww," said a random Slytherin girl who got more than a few odd looks. Harry figured she must have a snake as a pet.

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils. **

**"Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge. **

**"Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on. **

**"This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away. **

"Yes, because the world exists for your amusement," tossed out an irritated Hermione. In fact, she had yet to relax since returning to the great hall as thought of the torments her friend had to endure were currently at the forefront of her mind.

**Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself — no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house. **

"Harry, it's a snake," said Dean Thomas looking down at him like he was crazy. Harry shrugged; it was hard to understand if you hadn't gone through it but he still felt a lot of the times like an animal at the zoo. People were always staring, pointing at him, whispering (if he was lucky), and other such things while he was confined for his own protection either to Privet Drive or to Hogwarts. Harry clenched his fist, his anger finding another foot hole to climb up with as the story continued.

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's. **

**_It winked. _**

"Snakes can't wink," scoffed Hermione and a few Ravenclaws.

"Well, he did the snake equivalent because that's what it looked like," said Harry a little tersely recalling the incident. A few people gave him raised eyebrows, but Ron and Hermione just exchanged worried looks at his tone.

**Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too. **

"Yes, because that's the natural reaction when dealing with winking snakes," said Seamus sarcastically.

**The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly: **

**_"I get that all the time." _**

**"I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying." **

Ron just shook his head in amusement at Harry's first conversation with a snake, and then something struck him.

"Harry?" he started slowly, Harry gave him a quizzical look. "Didn't you tell Hermione and me that you once accidently set a boa constrictor on your cousin once?"

Harry beamed at Ron and the twins, Ginny, Lupin, Tonks, and Neville howled with laughter receiving odd looks from around the hall.

**The snake nodded vigorously. **

**"Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked. **

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it. **

**Boa Constrictor, Brazil. **

**"Was it nice there?" **

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see — so you've never been to Brazil?" **

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump. "DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!" **

**Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.**

Fred jumped up quickly and did his best waddle, before being yelled at by Umbridge to sit down.

**"Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs. Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. **

"Oi," yelled most the Gryffindors and the DA members.

**What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened — one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror. **

**Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished. **

"Harry, did you just perform a vanishing spell?" asked Hermione looking thunderstruck, as did McGonagall who's eyebrows had soared to new height. Harry shrugged.

"Must have, I guess," he replied.

"But we are just learning those now, and well you haven't been doing great at them," said Hermione.

"Well, I always do better with a spell in the spur of the moment anyways," Harry thought. Hermione nodded slowly, as this was true. She had seen Harry over the year struggle with a spell then pull it off in a spectacular fashion when under pressure. I mean just look at his patronus unable to produce anything but mist, and suddenly his spell is strong enough to ward off a hundred dementors.

The teachers were looking a little thoughtful at that fact. Harry had always been an exceptional student, but not quite like his parents who were both top of the class. Maybe he learned a little different, or maybe thought McGonagall with a frown the Dursley's had been a little more successful then anyone would like to admit. She gave Dumbledore a look he had gone from staring at his hands to the ceiling a frown on his face and an intense concentration in his eye. There was no sparkle, but a spark of recognition. They would need to discuss more later.

**The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits. **

**As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, ****_"Brazil, here I come… Thanksss, amigo." _**

"Well, he seemed downright friendly as far as snakes go," commented Justin Flinch-Fletchly causing the hall to laugh.

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock. **

**"But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?" **

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, **

"Yes, how could that possibly be terrifying from such a polite snake," said Ron sarcastically to Harry.

"Exactly," said Harry with a grin.

**but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death. But worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?" **

"You little git," said Ginny in a huff. Hermione looked beyond words as sparks shot off her wand which had found its way onto the table. Ron and Dean who were seating nearest to her began to slowly scoot away.

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go — cupboard — stay — no meals," **

"What you can't do that!" exclaimed quite a few student including quite a few Slytherins. Even Draco Malfoy seemed a little flabbergasted at the idea, in fact Potter's entire home life had not been setting right with him. Potter might get all the attention, but at least Draco's parents care for him. Draco knew his parent's loved him, but Potter's aunt and uncle it was almost like they didn't care at all. Draco wouldn't be able to stand that. How could they not care?

**before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy. **

**Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food. **

_No wonder he loves his watch, _thought Ron looking down at the aforementioned item. He remembered how disappointed Harry had been after his watch had been ruined in the second task last year, but he was glad he got around to getting a new one.

**He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash. He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead. **

People gasped in surprise, again, at Harry's memory.

**This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. He couldn't remember his parents at all. His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house. **

**When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, **

Hermione was suddenly looking very teary-eyed at Harry, which of course absolutely alarmed Harry and Ron.

"Before Hagrid gave you the photo album had you ever seen what you parents looked like?" asked Hermione in distress. The hall had heard her somehow and everyone seemed to be waiting with baited breathe.

"No, actually before Hagrid told me I looked like my dad, but had my mom's eyes I wasn't sure I looked anything like them. I tried to imagine them sometimes looking at myself, but-" Harry trailed off, and a glance around the room had many other watery eyes pointed in his direction, even Neville seemed upset.

"Well, I know what they look like now at least," said Harry suddenly defensive for reasons he didn't understand. McGonagall coughed and continued the story.

**but it had never happened; the Dursleys were his only family. Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too. **

"Wizards," whispered many happily.

**A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look. **

"They apparated, Potter," drawled Draco.

"No, really Draco, I thought they flew," Harry spat back in annoyance. McGonagall cut back in quickly with the next sentence.

**At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang. **

"I do," squeeked out Dennis Creevy suddenly. Harry who had been glaring at Malfoy moments ago had to send a quick smile down to the youngest Creevy brother.

"Well, that's the end of that Chapter the next on is called Letters From No One," announced McGonagall.

"I will read that one if it's alright Minerva," said Professor Sprout a couple chairs down from her.

"Certainlym Pomona," said McGonagall as Professor Sprout levitated the book over to herself. Lunch had been mostly forgotten and the plates cleared away as Professor Sprout began.


	4. Chapter 3

**Updated Chapter!**

**I blame Mass Effect for the delays. I played part of three on vacation got hooked so I bought the trilogy and it has been consuming my life, but seriously if I get up to two weeks behind yell at me I don't want to be one of those people who stops in the middle of a series someone enjoys and just leaves them hanging. **

**And keep the reviews coming. They have given me great ideas and are really encouraging me to keep going. If I expect any more major delays I will make sure to give you a heads up. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"**Letters From No One**," Professor Sprout began.

**The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry his longest-ever punishment. By the time he was allowed out of his cupboard again, the summer holidays had started**

"Harry, when exactly is your cousin's birthday?" asked Lupin with a false since of calm.

"Uh, late June sometime," said Harry uneasily. Lupin's jaw tightened.

"A month!" exclaimed Hermione her voice hitting a screechy tone. Ron winced beside her. Hermione seemed to want to go on but looking at Harry's down cast eyes she bit her tongue and turned back to the book.

** and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches. **

"That cruel, _cruel_ child," spat Professor Sprout interrupting herself. Agreements were heard around the room.

**Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader. **

Malfoy looked over real quick at Goyle imagining him in charge of anything and snorted to him self.

'Bloody muggles have no sense of order,' Malfoy thought derisively.

**The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport: Harry Hunting. **

**This was why Harry spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where he could see a tiny ray of hope. When September came he would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be with Dudley. Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings. Piers Polkiss was going there too. Harry, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, **

"No your not," spoke up Luna quite suddenly in her dreamy voice. "You're going to Hogwarts."

"Yes, he is," said most of those seated at the Gryffindor table, Professor McGonagall, Hagrid, and the DA smugly. Harry grinned to himself thinking there was no better place in the world.

**the local public school. Dudley thought this was very funny. **

**"They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he told Harry. "Want to come upstairs and practice?" **

**"No, thanks," said Harry. "The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it — it might be sick." **

The entire hall burst into laughter even the most stoic of Slytherin's had cracked a grin. Even Professor Snape had a hint of mirth in his eyes. As for the Weasleys they were all doubled over howling jovially.

"You know I think you have a bit of your mother's quick wit there Harry," said Lupin between chuckles. Harry beamed at Lupin.

**Then he ran, before Dudley could work out what he'd said. **

'That was almost Slytherin of him,' thought Snape as he tried to beat away memories of similar comments he had heard Lily say.

**One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry at Mrs. Figg's. Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. She let Harry watch television and gave him a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years.**

A few people blanched at the idea Ron being one of the most noticeable, whil Lupin simply frowned.

(ok so side note technically it never really proved that Lupin was obsessed with chocolate I mean the school was surrounded by Dementors so it was simply smart to have a stock of chocolate that year. But I think it is hilarious to pretend that he is so I will put little tributes about it in the future)

**That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters. **

Many of the girls and the more style conscious boys had disgusted looks on their face at this description.

**They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life. **

Sprout paused.

"How does that make any sense?" asked McGonagall incredulously. She gave bewildered looks to her fellow staff, who all looked equally bewildered back at her.

"It's like allowing our students to jinx each other when we aren't looking," said Professor Flitwick indignantly.

"Not necessarily a bad idea in some cases," Ron murmured to Harry looking pointedly over to Malfoy. Harry snorted, he had to admit it there were definitely times a rule like that would come in handy. Then again with all the people already out to get him he'd just as soon not have to watch his back against his fellow students as well.

**As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, **

People laughed again at another of Petunia's outrageous names for her son.

**he looked so handsome and grown-up. Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh. **

Harry's friends grinned at him as he started laughing at the memory, so hard it almost brought him to tears.

**There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in gray water. **

**"What's this?" he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question. **

**"Your new school uniform," she said. **

**Harry looked in the bowl again.**

**"Oh," he said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet." **

**"Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. **

"Um, it's called sarcasm," said Ginny tersely. Harry grinned at her causing her to blush slightly. Lupin coughed. Harry and Ginny whipped their heads back around to the book not realizing they had been staring, and grateful no one but Lupin had noticed.

**"I'm dyeing some of Dudley's old things gray for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished." **

**Harry seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue. He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High — like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably. **

**Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Harry's new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table. **

**They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat. **

**"Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper. **

"No way," said Lavender Brown, as everybody looked at the book in surprise.

**"Make Harry get it." **

**"Get the mail, Harry." **

Nobody looked surprised any longer.

**"Make Dudley get it." **

"Nice try mate," Lee Jordan offered down the table. Harry shrugged.

**"Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley." **

**Harry dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill, and — _a letter for Harry_. **

Harry's friends from around the hall including Hagrid cheered for a good minute before Dumbledore raised his hand for them to quiet down.

**Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him. Who would? He had no friends, no other relatives — he didn't belong to the library, so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake: **

**_Mr. H. Potter _**

**_The Cupboard under the Stairs _**

**_4 Privet Drive_**

**_Little Whinging _**

**_Surrey_**

**The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp. **

**Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter _H_. **

"Hogwarts!" yelled many of the students especially those of the first and second years.

**"Hurry up, boy!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke. **

"Oh, yeah," said Fred his head resting on his hand looking bored.

"That's so funny," said George mimicking his brother.

**Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter. He handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down, and slowly began to open the yellow envelope.**

"Oh no, Harry," Hermione whined at the book. "You should have opened it sooner." Harry didn't bother to answer seeing as Hermione was enthralled in the book.

**Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped over the postcard. **

**"Marge's ill," he informed Aunt Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk…" **

**"Dad!" said Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Harry's got something!" **

"Git," commented Neville. Ron snorted but nodded in agreement with the rest of the people within hearing distance of Neville.

**Harry was on the point of unfolding his letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Vernon. **

**"That's _mine_!" said Harry, trying to snatch it back. **

**"Who'd be writing to you?" **

"Oh you know nobody important only _the Harry Potter fanclub and the majority of the wizarding world_," said George sarcastically.

"I think Ginny at least wrote you ten letters," said Fred. Ginny blushed and hit her brother upside the head, but Fred only grinned at her.

"Wait, there is not an actual Harry Potter fanclub is there?" asked Harry worried.

"Oh, yes there is. I believe there are about a hundred members in it," said Tonks in amusement as Harry paled.

"Hey, what happened to all those letters anyway?" asked Ron diverting the attention away from the sick looking Harry. Ron's voice carried to the head table.

"They were all saved in a vault at Gringotts for Harry to decide what to do with when he comes of age," said Dumbledore a hint of amusement. Harry's head landed on the table with a thud as the weight of having his own fan club plus possibly hundreds of fan letters written when he was a child stored away somewhere.

(seriously though if lockhart has a fan club and fan mail then Harry sure as hell does too)

**sneered Uncle Vernon, shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the grayish white of old porridge. **

"Quite an impressive color range there," commented Angelina Johnson. George chuckled at the comment.

**"P-P-Petunia!" he gasped. **

**Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise. **

**"Vernon! Oh my goodness — Vernon!" **

People sighed and rolled their eyes at the dramatics of these people.

**They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Harry and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick.**

"Our mother would have walloped us," said Ron paling and looking at his brothers and sister, who looked equally horrified at the idea. Harry, Hermione, Lupin, and Tonks chuckled at them.

**"I want to read that letter," he said loudly. **

**"_I _want to read it," said Harry furiously, "as it's _mine_." **

**"Get out, both of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope. **

**Harry didn't move. **

Ron and Hermione tensed.

"What's wrong?""What's the matter?" asked Dean and Neville respectively.

"Harry's not going to be happy about that." Said Hermione. Harry blushed.

**"I WANT MY LETTER!" he shouted. **

Many people jumped around the hall as Professor Sprout had given the sentence its proper volume.

"You know," said Hermione turning to Ron. "I think Harry is louder." Ron seemed to give it some thought and then nodded. The surrounding Gryffindors aside from the other Weasleys who had heard Harry upon his arrival to Grimmauld Place looked surprised having never heard Harry truly shout.

**"Let _me _see it!" demanded Dudley. **

**"OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall, **

Hermione literally hissed at the book as sparks shot out of her wand tip. Ron put a firm hand on her shoulder that was a little tighter than he meant it to be. Lupin was staring at his clenched fists on the table thinking of all that Harry had told him about growing up with the Dursleys.

How could he not have been there? What would Sirius do when he finds out?

"Sirius," said Lupin in an undertone to himself. Harry caught the name however and shot Lupin a quizzical look. "He deserves to know about this Harry, but we will talk about that later." Harry seemed nervous at the idea. In all actuality, Lupin was quite nervous at the idea too.

**slamming the kitchen door behind them. Harry and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole; Dudley won, so Harry, his glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on his stomach to listen at the crack between door and floor. **

**"Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "look at the address — how could they possibly know where he sleeps? You don't think they're watching the house?" **

**"Watching — spying — might be following us," muttered Uncle Vernon wildly. **

**"But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want —" **

**Harry could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and down the kitchen. **

**"No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer… Yes, that's best… we won't do anything…" **

"What?!" people asked incredulously. Tonks shook her head thinking that these people gave muggles everywhere a bad name.

**"But —" **

**"I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"**

Dark looks were again shared around the hall, and Dumbledore who had been still and quiet the whole chapter looked up at the book with a look that had those who caught it shivering in fear.

**That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited Harry in his cupboard. **

**"Where's my letter?" said Harry, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door. **

"Wow, he actually fit," said Ron.

"Not quite," said Harry with a grin.

**"Who's writing to me?"**

**"No one. It was addressed to you by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly. "I have burned it." **

**"It was _not _a mistake," said Harry angrily, "it had my cupboard on it." **

**"SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling. He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful.**

**"Er — yes, Harry — about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking… you're really getting a bit big for it… we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom. **

**"Why?" said Harry. **

**"Don't ask questions!" snapped his uncle. "Take this stuff upstairs, now." **

**The Dursleys' house had four bedrooms: **

"What?" asked Hermione and McGonagall sharply.

**one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom. It only took Harry one trip upstairs to move everything he owned from the cupboard to this room. **

Malfoy looked startled at the idea. He had to have his mother put a small undetectable extension charm on his trunk just so he could bring enough stuff to Hogwarts. In fact many of his friends did the same. He would dare say even a Weasley would need two loads to carry _all_ there stud somewhere.

**He sat down on the bed and stared around him. Nearly everything in here was broken. The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbor's dog; in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his favorite program had been canceled; there was a large birdcage, which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle, which was up on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it. Other shelves were full of books. They were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been touched. **

"I think I just finished up reading the last one this summer," said Harry as Hermione looked out raged. She gave him a fond smile then went back to the book. Ron gave Harry a look that plainly asked if he was just saying that to pacify Hermione. Harry nodded his assent.

Honestly, Harry had tried to read the books, but only the Hobbit and The Chronicles of Narnia series was of any interest. The rest were either simple books he outgrew when he was five or books about sports which besides Quidditch he had never been interested in.

**From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, "I don't _want _him in there… I _need _that room… make him get out…" **

**Harry sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday he'd have given anything to be up here. Today he'd rather be back in his cupboard with that letter than up here without it. **

**Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother, and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof,**

"That's horrible," gasped Pavarti Patil as well as a few other animal lovers around the room. Luna seemed very depressed by the news.

** and he still didn't have his room back. Harry was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing he'd opened the letter in the hall. **

Hermione gave him an I-told-you-so look that had Harry resisting to roll his eyes. He had been ten what did she expect.

**Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly.**

**When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry, made Dudley go and get it. They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, "There's another one! **

"Idiot," said Seamus with a sigh.

**'Mr. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive —'" **

**With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind. **

Harry, Ron, and Hermione shared a look and then busted out laughing receiving odd looks from around the hall.

"I was wondering why you seemed so experienced. You had already had practice, huh?" Ron gasped out. Hermione redoubled with laughter while Harry nodded his head.

"Will this be explained somewhere later?" asked Ginny looking at them all like they were insane.

"Yeah, should be sometime later in this book," said Harry. Ginny nodded as the trio began to quiet down.

**After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Harry's letter clutched in his hand. **

**"Go to your cupboard — I mean, your bedroom," he wheezed at Harry. "Dudley — go — just go." **

**Harry walked round and round his new room. Someone knew he had moved out of his cupboard and they seemed to know he hadn't received his first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again? And this time he'd make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan. **

Ron groaned while Hermione shook her head.

"What?" asked Harry.

"Harry your plans are a bit like your spells. In the heat of battle or in high pressure situations they are great but," Hermione hesitated trying to find the right words as Harry looked at her expectantly.

"Look mate, they are just not that great when you have too much time to think about them," Ron finished for Hermione. Harry looked slightly affronted.

"Well, thanks." Harry said. Ron just shrugged at him. Lupin looked interestedly at Harry as Professor Sprout continued.

**The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Harry turned it off quickly and dressed silently. He mustn't wake the Dursleys. He stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights. He was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first. **

"Not the worse one I have ever heard," said Lupin bracingly.

**His heart hammered as he crept across the dark hall toward the front door — **

**"AAAAARRRGH!" **

**Harry leapt into the air; he'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat — something _alive_! **

The twins, Lee Jordan, and surprisingly enough even Ginny were suddenly found with their hands together seeming to be praying.

**Lights clicked on upstairs and to his horror Harry realized that the big, squashy something had been his uncle's face. **

"Yes!""Our prayers have been answered!" yelled Ginny and Fred as George and Lee Jordan whooped in victory.

**Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry didn't do exactly what he'd been trying to do. He shouted at Harry for about half an hour and then told him to go and make a cup of tea. Harry shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time he got back, the mail had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap. Harry could see three letters addressed in green ink. **

**"I want —" he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before his eyes. **

"That evil, cruel-" Hermione seemed at a loss for words for the vileness of Uncle Vernon's actions. She hissed like an angry cat then crossed her arms dejectedly and glared at the book. Ron and Dean who were closes to her ever so subtly gave her a little more room.

**Uncle Vernon didn't go to work that day. He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot. **

**"See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't _deliver _them they'll just give up." **

"Really, how thick can you get?" asked Ron in exasperation.

"I would say that you're the expert Ronnekins, but I think Vernon just took the cake," replied Fred getting a glare from his younger brother.

**"I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon." **

**"Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me," said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him. **

"Thinking like that man is simply a terrifying thought," said Cho Chang to the surrounding Ravenclaws who all nodded fervently.

**On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Harry. **

"Wow," said Colin and Denis Creevy.

"Is that what always happens when the letters are ignored?" asked the latter.

"Why, yes, Mr. Creevy the entire system is automated though and doesn't inform us of the difficulty until it reaches about a hundred of them I believe," replied McGonagall kindly seeing as Dumbledore seemed to distracted by his own thoughts.

**As they couldn't go through the mail slot they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom. **

**Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" as he worked, and jumped at small noises. **

"He's worse than Martin Miggs," said Ron in an undertone.

(referral to The Adventure of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle found in Ron's room on Harry's first visit)

**On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to Harry found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window. While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor. **

**"Who on earth wants to talk to _you _this badly?" Dudley asked Harry in amazement. **

"Ginny," said Ron and the twins simultaneously. Ginny blushed, but fixed her brothers with a Mrs. Weasley like glare that had then flinching.

"THAT was a long time ago," she said through gritted teeth. They nodded mutely at her.

**On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy. **

**"No post on Sundays," **

"Really?" asked a sixth year pureblood from Hufflepuff. A nearby housemate quickly explained how the muggle post system worked unaware that she had the attention of the majority of the pureblood population and was getting a proud smile from Charity Burbage the Professor of Muggle Studies.

**he reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers, "no damn letters today —" **

**Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. **

"Ha, serves him right," said Neville seemingly out of character, but this was Harry. Harry who got his Remembrall back from Malfoy after he broke his arm, Harry who helped pull him out of all the stairs he forgot to jump, Harry who always got blamed for things he didn't do, Harry who didn't judge him or change around him at all after finding out about his parents, Harry who never complained that he always had to partner up with him during the DA, this was Harry one of Neville's greatest friends no matter what anybody even Harry said.

Most people had looked surprised but dismissed his comment, but Harry had given him an amused smile.

(Hope this wasn't too sappy, but I truly think Neville looks up to Harry but no for all the great things he's done, and everbody else looks up to him for, but for the little things Harry does everyday.)

**Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt into the air trying to catch one — **

"Potter," drawled out Malfoy in a superior tone. "There have to be plenty on the ground why don't you just pick one up."

"Because Harry actually has natural Seeker reflexes unlike some people Malfoy," snapped Katie Bell. Malfoy looked crossly at her but any retort was interrupted by Professor Sprout.

**"Out! OUT!" **

**Uncle Vernon seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall. **

"No!" said many people around the hall looking alarmed at the treatment of Harry.

**When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor. **

**"That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his mustache at the same time. "I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!" **

**He looked so dangerous with half his mustache missing that no one dared argue. **

The twins started laughing hysterically again at that.

"Oh, what now?" asked McGonagall sounding a little cross.

"It's like imagining a walrus," said George before breaking down into giggles again.

"With half it's mustache," finished Fred. A few other people began chuckling at the image and even McGonagall allowed herself a brief fond smirk.

**Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and computer in his sports bag. **

"That man should not be allowed around children," said Madam Bones crossly jotting things down on a notepad.

**They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while. **

**"Shake 'em off… shake 'em off," he would mutter whenever he did this. **

**They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. By nightfall Dudley was howling. He'd never had such a bad day in his life. **

"Welcome to Harry's world," said Hermione tersely.

**He was hungry, he'd missed five television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer. **

**Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Harry shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. **

**Dudley snored but Harry stayed awake, sitting on the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering… **

"Just who was that scrawny git reflected back at him in the window?" asked George in a dramatic announcers voice.

"Why didn't the Dursley's hotel room collapse in under their combined weight?" asked Fred equally dramatically.

"Find out next time, on HEEEERRRRE'S HARRY," said Lee Jordan wrapping it up to disapproval from some of the staff and especially Umbridge who was constantly being silenced by Fudge at this point.

Umbridge knew there had to be something about Harry Potter something that would get him even if it was in a latter book, but the support he seemed to be getting right now. She could hardly stand it.

'They will see," she thought, 'Soon they will all know what a despicable little liar he is.'

**They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast the next day. They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table. **

**"'Scuse me, but is one of you Mr. H. Potter? Only I got about an 'undred of these at the front desk." **

**She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address: **

**_Mr. H. Potter _**

**_Room 17 _**

**_Railview Hotel _**

**_Cokeworth _**

**Harry made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. The woman stared. **

**"I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room. **

A sudden whoosh came in from over head as a single tawny owl came in to the Great Hall. It landed in front of Dumbledore sticking out his leg.

"We can send owls in and out of the castle?" asked Fudge startled.

"So it would seem," said Dumbledore unfolding the letter he had received. He quickly took in the letter then flipping the letter over and pulling out a eagle feather quill seemingly from nowhere wrote a quick response.

"Who was it from Albus?" asked McGonagall in interest.

"It was from Professor Trewlany it seems she had gone for an early morning tea down at Madam Puddifoot's, and upon her return had been unable to get into the castle. She had tried everything she could up until now the poor dear. I have told her the gist of the situation and asked her to send word to the Ministry about the situation so they can handle Cornelius's absence appropriately. That is if that is fine with you Minister," said Dumbledore turning a twinkling eye to the man in question.

"Yes, that is most acceptable Dumbledore. I should though probably send a letter of my own," replied Fudge.

"Of course, though may I suggest we finish this chapter." Fudge nodded at Dumbledore's proposal absentmindedly.

**"Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her. Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, **

"What is he doing?" asked Justin Finch-Fletchley flabbergasted.

**and at the top of a multilevel parking garage. **

**"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon. **

People around the room snorted and shook their heads.

**Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared. **

**It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley sniveled. **

**"It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a _television_." **

**Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it _was _Monday — and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days the week, because of television — then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday. Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun — last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks. Still, you weren't eleven every day. **

**Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling. He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought. **

Many people around the room were curious too, in fact several Gryffindors asked Harry, but he just brushed them off telling them to wait to find out.

**"Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!" **

**It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. **

"He's not going to make you stay there?" asked Lavender Brown in absolute indignation. Harry nodded that indeed he was going to make him stay there, and the hall groaned with murmurs about crazy muggles even coming from some of the muggle borns.

**One thing was certain, there was no television in there. **

**"Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!" **

**A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-gray water below them. **

**"I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!" **

**It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house. **

"How did you turn out anywhere near normal with a man like that raising you?" asked Angelina Johnson suddenly now looking absolutely alarm. Harry gave her a derisive look.

"Haven't you heard the Profit Angelina? I didn't I turned into an attention seeking liar apparently who wants to claim that the man who _killed_ his parents and _doomed_ him to live with these people have come back." Said Harry coldly. A chill seemed to surround the air around him at these words as his back tensed from that coiled rage inside him. Lupin and Ron both put hands on Harry's shoulders allowing him to calm down.

"Sorry Harry," said Angelina sadly. Harry breathed out slowly letting go of most his anger though it still scratched at him a bit at the back of his skull.

"Sorry Angelina, it's not your fault." He responded quietly; around the room people were murmuring. Now that he said it like that, did it really make sense that he would claim something like that to be true? In all actuality it seemed as if Harry Potter would be the last person in the world to want He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to return.

**The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms. **

**Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas. **

"That is nowhere near enough rations for a growing boy, though admittedly the young Dursley boy could probably spare the meal," commented Madam Pomfrey. McGonagall hid her grin at the last comment.

**He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked and shriveled up. **

**"Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" he said cheerfully. **

"Ass," said Ginny quietly glaring up at the book. Tonks gave her what was suppose to be a chastising look but turned into a grin. Ginny grinned mischievously back. Harry's heart skipped a beat at that look which startled Harry even more. He whipped back around to the book thinking.

He shot a quick look over at Cho at the Ravenclaw table. She caught his eye and gave him a small, sweet smile. He smiled back, but as he turned back to the book it was Ginny's mischievous grin that stuck in his head not Cho's small sweet smile.

**He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail. Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all. **

**As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa. She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door, and Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor he could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket. **

The entire Gryffindor table almost sounded like a true lion with the growling that was heard from their table over this new piece of information. It thankfully hid the one that came from the head lioness herself Professor McGonagall.

**The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, his stomach rumbling with hunger. **

Lupin's hand again found it's way to Harry's shoulder bracingly. Harry leaned in slightly appreciative of the intent even if it was for events that had happened five years ago.

**Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes' time. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now. **

**Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did. **

"Wow you're a real glass is half full guy, huh Potter?" asked Blaise Zabini in all honesty though many of his fellow slytherins snickered thinking it was a joke. He just gave them confused looks.

**Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow. **

**Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea? **

"Really, Harry?" sighed Hermioned turning to look at him. He just shrugged his shoulders.

**One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds… twenty… ten… nine — maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him **

"Do it! Do it!, Do it! –" "Weasleys, be quiet," yelled Professor McGonagall.

**— three… two… one… **

**BOOM. **

**The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in. **

"That's the end of the chapter," announced Sprout.

"Well Dumbledore if you will excuse me I need to borrow your owlry," said Fudge.

"Yes, I believe we could all use a break, and then do another chapter during dinner," said Dumbledore thoughtfully. Fudge nodded his ascent having gone to saying few words since the start of the books, and seeing the way young Harry was treated.

Dumbledore dismissed the hall for a twenty minute break for them to do as they pleased around the castle.


	5. Chapter 4

**Well it only took me forever and a day to get back to this story, but hey I have gotten back to it. You guys should yell at me more. LOL. Anyway, I have done a bit of planning for this story and reread the OOTP so I got a better idea of where exactly I started this story (like two days after the story in the Quibbler first came out and Harry had the dream about Rookwood). **

**Hope you enjoy this one I rushed it a little bit in order to get it out, and I actually wrote the first part with Lupin months ago, so hopefully it all goes together. **

* * *

No sooner had the words left Dumbledore's mouth then Lupin turned to Harry.

"We need to talk." Harry looked immediately apprehensive at Lupin's words. Lupin considered him before following up his own words.

"Not about the Dursleys, at least not for now but your communication with a certain shaggy black dog." Harry wasn't sure if he felt any better about this prospect but followed Lupin's lead as he left the Great Hall after getting a squeeze on the arm from a concerned looking Tonks.

They entered the first empty classroom they could find on that floor having to fight through a mad rush by people who had not taken a break to use the restroom during the reading. Lupin gestured Harry in first and then followed suit casting and imperturbable charm on the door behind him. Harry checked his watch slightly relieved at seeing that if they wanted to make it back in time Lupin only had ten minutes to talk to him. He heard Lupin sigh and look up.

"Look, Harry. I know you most likely don't want to tell Sirius. It is not an easy subject to talk about, and Sirius doesn't seem at first like the best person to tell considering his tendency to take things to extremes." Harry snorted and Lupin paused a moment with a bit of a wry smile. "However, Sirius is also the one person who may be able to relate to you just a little."

Harry looked at Lupin a little thunderstruck.

"Now it is not my place to give you details, but I will tell you that Sirius spending most summer's with your father and eventually moving in with them wasn't because he is the renegade he wants everybody to believe he is. I don't think it was as bad as the Dursleys but it certainly wasn't easy." Lupin paused looking significantly at Harry. Harry looked down contemplatively.

" Ok. I will tell Sirius sort of wish I could talk to him now honestly, but . ." Harry trailed off and looked up. Lupin was giving him an odd look.

"Harry, what about your Christmas gift from Sirius did you forget it?" asked Lupin.

"No, but he said that was to tell him when I was in trouble and needed him," said Harry. Lupin looked exasperated, and Harry would bet he had just called Sirius a dunderhead in his mind.

"Harry, it's a two way mirror so you can talk to each other without interference," explained Lupin. Harry gaped at Lupin.

"You mean I could have been talking to Sirius this whole time?!" Harry practically yelled. Lupin nodded his head with an amused smile.

"I suggest you use it tonight, but for now let's head back to the Great Hall and see if we can't make it though this first book," said Lupin removing the charm on the door and opening it for Harry. Harry bounded out the door a mite bit happier than before at the prospect of talking to his Godfather tonight even if the subject wasn't the best he could hope for.

Harry and Lupin scrambled in with a couple of other late stragglers most of which were a group of sixth year girls who seemed to have been freshening their make-up. Ron and Hermione shot Harry a concerned look as he sat down he gave them a reassuring smile that they returned.

"One more I think before we have our evening meal," announced Dumbledore thumbing through the book to the current chapter. He smiled proudly. "Hagrid perhaps you would enjoy reading this one."

Dumbledore levitated the book down to Hagrid who looked a little embarrassed at the prospect but grinned broadly at the title.

"Be ma' pleasure profess'r," said Hagrid.

"Great we'll hardly be able to understand this chapter," Malfoy sneered quietly to his friends who laughed as they were suppose to.

"**The Keeper of the Keys**," began Hagrid.

**BOOM. **

The great hall jumped as Hagrid's usually loud voice boomed even louder on the word.

**They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake. **

**"Where's the cannon?" he said stupidly. **

"That suggests he can say something intelligently," said Lee Jordan causing the surrounding Gryffindors to snigger.

**There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands – **

Hermione and a few other muggle-borns gasped.

**now they knew what had been in the long, thin package he had brought with them. **

**"Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you — I'm armed!" **

"So are we," said Fred and George waving their arms. Hermione proceeded to explain what the term meant to much interest from other purebloods surrounding her, while a few ignorant Slytherins giggled to themselves over the stupidity of Muggles.

**There was a pause. Then — **

**SMASH! **

The great hall jumped collectively again as Hagrid gave emphasis to the volume of the word**.**

**The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor. **

**A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair. **

"Hagrid," yelled several people joyously. Hagrid beamed back at them catching Harry's eye and both of them smiled wider.

**The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door, and fitted it easily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned to look at them all. **

**"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey…" **

A few people laughed shaking their heads at asking for tea after knocking down a door.

**He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear. **

**"Budge up, yeh great lump," said the stranger. **

**Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother, who was crouching, terrified, behind Uncle Vernon. **

"I always find it interesting that most bullies are cowards," remarked Hermione scathingly and also sent a glance towards Malfoy, who did not catch what she had said.

**"An' here's Harry!" said the giant. **

**Harry looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile. **

**"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mom's eyes." **

Harry smiled at the memory of the first time he ever heard those words.

**Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise. **

**"I demand that you leave at once, sir!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!" **

**"Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant; he reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room. **

This time the same Hermione and the other muggleborns gaped at Hagrid. Indeed even Professor Burbage was sending him an appraising look down the head table.

**Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on. **

**"Anyway — Harry," said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, "a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here — I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right." **

**From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Harry opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with ****_Happy Birthday Harry _****written on it in green icing. **

"First birthday cake I ever got," said Harry off-handedly smiling at the memory and missing the frowns from his friends at him not having a proper birthday in the ten years prior.

**Harry looked up at the giant. He meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth, and what he said instead was, "Who are you?" **

"Harry," admonished Hermione. Harry just shrugged at her. I mean what else do you ask when a half-giant stranger breaks the door down and gives you a birthday cake.

**The giant chuckled. **

**"True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." **

**He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm. **

**"What about that tea then, eh?" he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind." **

"Hagrid," admonished Professor McGonagall. Hagrid flushed but continued with the story.

**His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shriveled chip bags in it and he snorted. He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire there. It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Harry felt the warmth wash over him as though he'd sunk into a hot bath. **

**The giant sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs, and a bottle of some amber liquid that he took a swig from before starting to make tea. **

"Wow," said Neville looking impressed at all the things Hagrid had in his pockets. Indeed most the Great Hall had raised eyebrows besides the teachers who were much accustomed to this display from Hagrid.

**Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage. Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said sharply, "Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley." **

**The giant chuckled darkly. **

**"Yer great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry."**

"Here, here," went around the room though none were so loud as the Weasley boys, the only ones to have actually seen Dudley.

**He passed the sausages to Harry, who was so hungry he had never tasted anything so wonderful, but he still couldn't take his eyes off the giant. Finally, as nobody seemed about to explain anything, he said, "I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are." **

**The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. **

**"Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts — yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course. **

**"Er — no," said Harry. **

"I don't see this going well," muttered Fred to George.

**Hagrid looked shocked. **

**"Sorry," Harry said quickly. **

**"****_Sorry_****?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "It's them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learned it all?" **

**"All what?" asked Harry. **

**"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered. "Now wait jus' one second!" **

**He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall. **

**"Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursleys, "that this boy — this boy! — knows nothin' abou' — about ANYTHING?" **

"Hagrid," admonished McGonagall again as Ron snickered next to Harry earning himself a playful punch in the arm. Snape opened his mouth to say something that being true though not that it effect Potter's ego, but his mouth closed back without making a sound. Thoughts came back to him of the boys homelife, and then of what other teachers had always said about Potter. He had always seen him as Potter, son of James Potter, but he had always heard everyone else speak of Harry as his mother's child.

**Harry thought this was going a bit far. He had been to school, after all, and his marks weren't bad. **

**"I know ****_some _****things," he said. "I can, you know, do math and stuff." **

**But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About ****_our _****world, I mean. ****_Your _****world. ****_My _****world. ****_Yer parents' world_****." **

**"What world?" **

**Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode. **

**"DURSLEY!" he boomed. **

People around the great hall winced at Hagrids volume and tried to keep up as Hagrid began to read with more vigor and emotion seeming to emulate all that he had been feeling when he had originally said the words.

**Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like "Mimblewimble." Hagrid stared wildly at Harry. **

**"But yeh must know about yer mom and dad," he said. "I mean, they're ****_famous_****. You're ****_famous_****." **

**"What? My — my mom and dad weren't famous, were they?" **

**"Yeh don' know… yeh don' know…" Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare. **

**"Yeh don' know what yeh ****_are_****?" he said finally. **

**Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice. **

**"Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!" **

**A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage. **

**"You never told him? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from him all these years?" **

"This is why you should have talked to him instead of leaving him with a letter on their doorstep," seethed Hermione. Harry was beginning to wonder if they were going to have to deal with an angry Hermione the entire time they read the books. Indeed Harry himself was beginning to feel the rise in the anger that seemed to be constantly within him recently.

**"Kept ****_what _****from me?" said Harry eagerly. **

**"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic. **

**Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror. **

**"Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Harry — yer a wizard." **

**There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard. **

"Subtle," commented Lee Jordan with a grin.

**"I'm a ****_what_****?" gasped Harry. **

Hermione smiled suddenly not angry anymore. Harry was vaguely wondering how she could switch emotions that quick when she looked over at him.

"That was my reaction," she told him. Harry felt the anger ebb and smiled back.

**"A wizard, o' course," said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' a thumpin' good 'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be? An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter." **

**Harry stretched out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to ****_Mr. H. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea. _****He pulled out the letter and read: **

**_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY _**

**_Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE _**

**_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards) _**

_Not anymore,_ sneered Umbridge to herself.

**_Dear Mr. Potter, _**

**_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. _**

**_Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31. _**

**_Yours sincerely, _**

**_Minerva McGonagall, _**

**_Deputy Headmistress _**

**Questions exploded inside Harry's head like fireworks and he couldn't decide which to ask first. After a few minutes he stammered, "What does it mean, they await my owl?" **

"That was your first question?" asked Ron in surprise he remembered the long conversation they had on the train first year.

"Well, yeah it needed to be sent by July 31st and well it is my birthday which is July 31st," replied Harry. Ron oh-ed and let it drop.

**"Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled an owl — a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl — a long quill, and a roll of parchment. With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note that Harry could read upside down: **

**_Dear Professor Dumbledore, _**

**_Given Harry his letter. Taking him to buy his things tomorrow. _**

**_Weather's horrible. Hope you're well. _**

**_Hagrid _**

**Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the telephone. **

**Harry realized his mouth was open and closed it quickly. **

People around the Great Hall giggled a few muggleborns recalling how odd it was the first time they saw owlpost.

**"Where was I?" said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight. **

**"He's not going," he said. **

**Hagrid grunted. **

**"I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him," he said. **

**"A what?" said Harry, interested. **

**"A Muggle," said Hagrid, "it's what we call nonmagic folk like them. An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on." **

"Oi, that makes it sound like muggles are a bad thing," said a 6th year Ravenclaw muggleborn, who Harry had never met. Hagrid flushed and muttered something about not meaning it like that then plunged onward.

**"We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard indeed!" **

Dumbledore tensed in anger at the saying.

**"You ****_knew_****?" said Harry. "You ****_knew _****I'm a — a wizard?" **

**"Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "****_Knew_****! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like that her for what she was — a freak! **

The glare the book received at this made it surprising that it did not catch fire. Indeed Harry found that Snape's glare was the most intimidating and again he thought about asking Snape about his mother's past.

**But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!" **

**She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years. **

**"Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as — as —****_abnormal _****— and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!" **

"NO!" shouted Hermione and Ginny in outrage. Ron paled, and Lupin looked livid. The twins were sending dagger looks at the books and then shooting each other glances as though swearing to get back at Harry's aunt for this.

"How could she- why would she- you can't tell a person about their parents death like that you just can't," continued Hermione in outrage her voice cracking with tears towards the end. Harry patted her back awkwardly not really sure what to say.

**Harry had gone very white. As soon as he found his voice he said, "Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!" **

**"CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!" **

**"But why? What happened?" Harry asked urgently. **

**The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious. **

Many people looked as though they sympathized with Hagrid's predicament.

**"I never expected this," he said, in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Harry, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh — but someone's gotta — yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'." **

**He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys. **

Harry was pretty sure the dirty looks the book was getting rivaled Hagrid's look from back then.

**"Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh — mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it…" **

**He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with — with a person called — but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows —" **

"Hey, Hermione," said Harry all of a sudden. Hermione took her glare off the book and switched an inquisitive glance over to Harry.

"How did you learn about Voldemort-" the people around Harry flinched, "and how did you become frightened of the name. I never have."

"Well originally I read about it from the history books I first got from Flourish and Blotts, but well I didn't know people were scared of the name until I got on the train and brought it up. I guess after that I developed a fear of it because other people were afraid and I wanted to fit in." said Hermione she became a slight bit embarrassed on this last part. But Harry could understand wanting to fit in what he wouldn't give to be just one of the students not stared at, no crazy rumors following him except maybe who he is dating. No the boy-who-lived but just Harry.

**"Who?" **

**"Well — I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does." **

**"Why not?" **

**"Gulpin' gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went… bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was…" **

A few people shudder in anticipation of Hagrid saying the name.

**Hagrid gulped, but no words came out. **

**"Could you write it down?" Harry suggested. **

**"Nah — can't spell it. All right —****_Voldemort_****. " **

The Great Hall (besides the obvious) flinched.

**Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this — this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too — some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches… terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him — an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway. **

Dumbledore nodded to himself looking at the ceiling thinking, _not just yet anyway._

**"Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before… **

Lupin snorted at the idea. Harry smirked at him.

"If you spent five minutes in the room with your parents it was instantly obvious that they would just as soon support the dark arts as Umbridge would support S.P.E.W," said Lupin. Harry and Ron laughed at the reference and even Hermione was fighting back a grin.

**probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side. **

**"Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em… maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an' — an' —" **

Most of the staff and Lupin hung their head in despair. Harry had focused on a stain on the table which he suddenly found fascinating.

**Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn. **

The current Hagrid did the same thing.

**"Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad — knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find — anywa… **

**"You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then — an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing — he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it. **

People had gone from staring at the book back to staring at Harry with rapt attention as if that was somehow going to divine to them what it was about him that had stopped Lord Voldemort that day.

**Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh — took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even — but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Harry. No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age — the McKinnons, **

A few members of the Order including Hagrid himself bowed their heads in respect.

**the Bones, **

Ms. Bones and Susan bowed their heads in respect, and Hagrid paused again for them.

**the Prewetts **

It was the Weasley family's turn to bow their heads though Harry, Lupin, and Hermione joined them for their fallen uncles.

**— an' you was only a baby, an' you lived." **

**Something very painful was going on in Harry's mind. As Hagrid's story came to a close, he saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before — and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life: a high, cold, cruel laugh. **

More people became amazed at Harry's memory. Snape and Dumbledore, however, were becoming more and more suspicious, wondering if there was a link to his ability to remember this much and his link to Voldemort.

**Hagrid was watching him sadly. **

**"Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot… ." **

**"Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon. **

Ginny, Hermione, and a few others let out a haughty sigh of annoyance at the reappearance of Harry's relatives.

**Harry jumped; he had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there. Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched. **

**"Now, you listen here, boy," he snarled, "I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured **

The entire Gryffindor table and the members of the DA glowered at the book so much Harry was sure it would burst into flames at any minute. Indeed, Ron, the twins, and surprisingly Neville had half rose up out of their seats as if they could get to the Dursleys through the book.

**— and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdoes, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion — **

The candles around the chamber roared up with flames briefly scaring a few students close by to topple of their seat. People looked around to find Dumbledore looking at McGonagall who seemed a little embarrassed but no less angry. Harry grinned at her, and saw her lips flash in the briefest of smiles.

**asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types — just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end —" **

**But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat. Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley — I'm warning you — one more word…" **

"Go Hagrid," encouraged the Weasley boys and Lee Jordan.

**In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent. **

**"That's better," said Hagrid, breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor. **

**Harry, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of them. **

"You know for a kid who was never allowed to ask questions you sure are ridiculously curious," commented Angelina with a smile thinking about all the things she knew the trio got up to since meeting Harry in his 1st year. Harry flushed.

**"But what happened to Vol-, sorry — I mean, You-Know-Who?" **

**"Good question, Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see… he was gettin' more an' more powerful — why'd he go? **

**"Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back. **

**"Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Harry. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on — ****_I _****dunno what it was, no one does — but somethin' about you stumped him, all right." **

The room was tensely quiet as everybody listened to Hagrid the curiosity they had all felt at some point and time on this matter had risen back up in them causing a case of rapt attention to be spread among them.

**Hagrid looked at Harry with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Harry, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake. **

This sentence again hit Snape with doubt on whether or not Potter's attitude had so much to do with his father and more to do with how Snape had always treated him.

**A wizard? Him? How could he possibly be? **

Neville snorted. "You've showed more abilities as a wizard than I did leading up to going to Hogwarts, and I was raised by wizards."

Harry grinned sheepishly.

**He'd spent his life being clouted by Dudley, and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; if he was really a wizard, why hadn't they been turned into warty toads every time they'd tried to lock him in his cupboard? **

Dumbledore frowned sadly at the reminder knowing that accidental magic didn't work like that especially against family no matter how cruel they were to you, as long as some part of you considered them family.

**If he'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick him around like a football? **

**"Hagrid," he said quietly, "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a wizard." **

**To his surprise, Hagrid chuckled. **

**"Not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?" **

**Harry looked into the fire. Now he came to think about it… every odd thing that had ever made his aunt and uncle furious with him had happened when he, Harry, had been upset or angry… chased by Dudley's gang, he had somehow found himself out of their reach… dreading going to school with that ridiculous haircut, he'd managed to make it grow back… and the very last time Dudley had hit him, hadn't he got his revenge, without even realizing he was doing it? Hadn't he set a boa constrictor on him? **

The twins started laughing at the memory and then Fred looked at George with a wicked smile. They put their heads together and began whispering giving Harry the impression that Weasley's Wizard Wheezes would soon have a gag boa constrictor item.

**Harry looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at him. **

**"See?" said Hagrid. "Harry Potter, not a wizard — you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts." **

"Wish I wasn't," commented Harry.

**But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight. **

**"Haven't I told you he's not going?" he hissed. "He's going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and he needs all sorts of rubbish — spell books and wands and —" **

**"If he wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop him," growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter's son goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. His name's been down ever since he was born. He's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and he won't know himself. He'll be with youngsters of his own sort, fer a change, an' he'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had Albus Dumbled—" **

**"I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon. **

Professor McGonagall's face went into her hands and she tensed as though she already knew what was coming. She and Harry cast a few worried looks over to Umbridge and Fudge.

**But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head, **

**"NEVER —" he thundered, "— INSULT — ALBUS — DUMBLEDORE — IN — FRONT — OF — ME!" **

**He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley — there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. When he turned his back on them, Harry saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers. **

"AH HA!" exclaimed Umbridge in glee. "You are not allowed to do magic having been expelled in you third year _Professor_ Hagrid."

"True, Dolores," Dumbledore cut in as Hagrid fumbled for words, "However you will find if we continue reading that Hagrid was unjustly accused."

"But either way Dumbledore he just attacked a muggle with strictly goes against-" Umbridge began but Dumbledore cut in again.

"I agree Dolores, Hagrid should not have done that but considering the Ministry also falsely accused him three years ago for the attacks on muggleborns in Hogwarts during which he was sentenced to Azkaban I believe this little miss step is forgivable. Don't you Minister?" asked Dumbledore. Fudge who had taken to staring down at his bowler hat he was twiddling with during the reading looked up startled at being directly addressed.

"Of course, Dumbledore, of course," he said weekly completely oblivious to Umbridge's furious stares, and at this comment Percy Weasley's own incredulous look.

**Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them. **

**Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard. **

**"Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do." **

The hall roared with amusement and agreement.

**He cast a sideways look at Harry under his bushy eyebrows. **

**"Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he said. "I'm — er — not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff — one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job." **

**"Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Harry. **

**"Oh, well — I was at Hogwarts meself but I — er — got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore." **

**"Why were you expelled?" **

"Harry that's personal," admonished Tonks who had been silently at Lupin's side up until now.

**"It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. "Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that." **

**He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry. **

**"You can kip under that," he said. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' doormice in one o' the pockets." **

Lavendar and Pavarti shifted uncomfortably at the thought of dormice in their makeshift blanket.

"Tha's the end," said Hagrid putting down the book, and looking to Professor Dumbledore for what to do next.

"Well, I think now would be the perfect time for dinner," announced Dumbledore with a smile. No sooner had he said it then did mounds of food appear for the crowd.

"Oh, and Hagrid if you do not mind," said Dumbledore, whipping out his wand and levitating the book to himself. "I am not feeling the least bit hungry so I will take over while the rest of you enjoy your meal."


	6. Chapter 5

**Alright so I strive for accuracy on these things, but I sort of rushed this one, because well I did a bad thing and wrote it while I was at work. But anyway please comment I love getting them. And the next chapter might take me a bit because either at the end of it or the beginning of the next it will be time for a conversation with Sirius. Which I am super excited to write and want to get perfect.**

* * *

McGonagall shot Dumbledore a concerned look guessing what was keeping Dumbledore from eating. Harry was having no such problems this time around as they had reached the much safer subject of the day Harry spent with Hagrid, and having eaten nothing for lunch he currently tucked in with almost as much enthusiasm as Ron. Hermione was happy to see him eating again.

"**Diagon Alley**," began Dumbledore.

**Harry woke early the next morning. Although he could tell it was daylight, he kept his eyes shut tight. **

**_It was a dream, _****he told himself firmly. ****_I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for wizards. When I open my eyes I'll be at home in my cupboard. _**

"Always knew you were an optimist, Harry," said George sarcastically getting a chortle from the surrounding Gryffindors. Harry flushed.

**There was suddenly a loud tapping noise. **

**_And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door_****, Harry thought, his heart sinking. But he still didn't open his eyes. It had been such a good dream. **

**Tap. Tap. Tap. **

**"All right," Harry mumbled, "I'm getting up." **

**He sat up and Hagrid's heavy coat fell off him. The hut was full of sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the collapsed sofa, and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its beak. **

**Harry scrambled to his feet, so happy he felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside him. He went straight to the window and jerked it open. The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn't wake up. The owl then fluttered onto the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat. **

**"Don't do that." **

**Harry tried to wave the owl out of the way, but it snapped its beak fiercely at him and carried on savaging the coat. **

**"Hagrid!" said Harry loudly. "There's an owl —" **

**"Pay him," Hagrid grunted into the sofa. **

**"What?" **

**"He wants payin' fer deliverin' the paper. Look in the pockets." **

"That could be dangerous," commented Dean as he recalled what all Hagrid had in his pockets to begin with not to mention Hagrid's aptitude for dangerous creatures.

**Hagrid's coat seemed to be made of nothing ****_but _****pockets — bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls of string, peppermint humbugs, teabags… finally, Harry pulled out a handful of strange-looking coins. **

**"Give him five Knuts," said Hagrid sleepily. **

**"Knuts?" **

**"The little bronze ones."**

**Harry counted out five little bronze coins, and the owl held out his leg so Harry could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. Then he flew off through the open window. **

**Hagrid yawned loudly, sat up, and stretched. **

"Hagrid, were you pretending to be asleep in order to give Mr. Potter a lesson in wizarding money and owl post?" asked Professor Flitwick seeming to be impressed. Hagrid nodded into his dinner and flushed with embarrassment.

**"Best be off, Harry, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an' buy all yer stuff fer school." **

**Harry was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them. He had just thought of something that made him feel as though the happy balloon inside him had got a puncture. **

"Oh, no, what now?" said Ginny in exasperation at Harry's negativity. Harry grinned sheepishly at her as she gave him a stern Mrs. Weasley-esk look.

**"Um — Hagrid?" **

**"Mm?" said Hagrid, who was pulling on his huge boots. **

**"I haven't got any money — and you heard Uncle Vernon last night… he won't pay for me to go and learn magic." **

**"Don't worry about that," said Hagrid, standing up and scratching his head. "D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh anything?" **

**"But if their house was destroyed —" **

**"They didn' keep their gold in the house, boy! Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards' bank. Have a sausage, they're not bad cold — an' I wouldn' say no teh a bit o' yer birthday cake, neither." **

**"Wizards have ****_banks_****?" **

"Of course, Potter, what did you expect we kept it all in our mattresses or under tamed dragons in the basement?" asked Malfoy sarcastically. Harry didn't even bother looking at Malfoy but continued to gobble down his food.

**"Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins." **

**Harry dropped the bit of sausage he was holding. **

**"****_Goblins_****?" **

"I thought mom was going to feint when she saw the goblins the first time we went to Gringotts," commented Hermione with a smile. "Needless to say I don't tell her about everything that goes on in Hogwarts."

Harry and Ron smirked thinking about if Mrs. Granger thought goblins were scary what would she think about the other creatures they've run into or even better the situations they got into. Lupin was a bit nervous about the fact Hermione saw fit to keep things from her mother it was so bad.

**"Yeah — so yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it, I'll tell yeh that. Never mess with goblins, Harry. **

"Just ask Ludo Bagman," muttered Ron. The twins glared in agreement having never gotten the gold they were supposed to from the man.

**Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe — 'cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o' fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business." **

"You shouldn't have said that," said Hermione with a grin at Harry.

"Why not?" asked Lavendar Brown.

"Because now Harry's going to be curious," said both Ron and Hermione. Harry shrugged at them.

"Wouldn't you guys be curious?" He asked.

"Yes, but Harry when we are curious we don't sacrifice life and limb to satisfy that curiousity," replied Hermione with a fond tone.

"I'm not that bad," mumbled Harry, slightly annoyed considering if he hadn't been curious in this case Lord Voldemort would have come back even earlier than usual.

"We aren't saying it is a bad thing mate," said Ron bracingly, "but it is true." Ron and Hermione exchanged concerned looks over Harry's head.

"You sound like you got both your parents curiosity," said Lupin. Harry started completely forgetting to be annoyed at the other two.

"Really?" he asked quietly.

"If there was one thing your parents could always agree on it was not stopping until they found out what they needed to know. Both two stubborn for their own good," he said but smiled fondly at the memory. Harry cheered up quite a bit at this piece of information.

**Hagrid drew himself up proudly. "He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' you — gettin' things from Gringotts — knows he can trust me, see." **

**"Got everythin'? Come on, then."**

**Harry followed Hagrid out onto the rock. The sky was quite clear now and the sea gleamed in the sunlight. The boat Uncle Vernon had hired was still there, with a lot of water in the bottom after the storm. **

"Considering the description, I am pretty amazed it didn't sink to the bottom of the ocean quite honestly," commented Terry Boot from Ravenclaw.

**"How did you get here?" Harry asked, looking around for another boat. **

**"Flew," said Hagrid. **

**"****_Flew_****?" **

"No, worries Harry you will get to that soon enough," said Katie Bell with a smile. Harry smiled then frowned as the painful sting of his life-long Quidditch ban came back to haunt him. On the bright side perhaps after these books proved his innocence and the despicableness of Umbridge the ban would be dropped.

**"Yeah — but we'll go back in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got yeh." **

**They settled down in the boat, Harry still staring at Hagrid, trying to imagine him flying. **

**"Seems a shame ter row, though," said Hagrid, giving Harry another of his sideways looks. "If I was ter — er — speed things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin' it at Hogwarts?" **

**"Of course not," said Harry, eager to see more magic. **

**Hagrid pulled out the pink umbrella again, tapped it twice on the side of the boat, and they sped off toward land. **

Umbridge puffed up about to explode again, but Dumbledore cut across her.

"Professor Umbridge, I do remind you of your unjust accusations toward Hagrid that will be addressed in the next book so perhaps we should wait for you to be unsatisfied with the explanation given there on why Hagrid is innocent, to have this argument," said Dumbledore quickly.

"Dolores, if it pleases you I will keep record of what rules and laws have been broken and what we have misjudged and come to an unbiased decision based on sentencing in the end," said Madam Bones quite suddenly reminding everybody that she was there. She herself had been wrapped up in the story.

**"Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts?" Harry asked. **

**"Spells — enchantments," said Hagrid, unfolding his newspaper as he spoke. "They say there's dragons guardin' the high security vaults. And then yeh gotta find yer way — Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger tryin' ter get out, even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat." **

**Harry sat and thought about this while Hagrid read his newspaper, the ****_Daily Prophet_****. **

**Harry had learned from Uncle Vernon that people liked to be left alone while they did this, but it was very difficult, he'd never had so many questions in his life. **

"Ah' wouldn't have minded," said Hagrid with a smile to Harry. He smiled back half-heartedly.

**"Ministry o' Magic messin' things up as usual," Hagrid muttered, turning the page. **

**"There's a Ministry of Magic?" Harry asked, before he could stop himself. **

The staff was again beginning to wonder about Mr. Potter and his lack of questions in class, even though he did very well all the same.

**"'Course," said Hagrid. "They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, o' course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. Bungler if ever there was one. **

"How _dare_ you," seethed Umbridge and even Percy shot Hagrid a dirty look. Hagrid however looked non-repentent, and Fudge was starting to wallow more and more in self-loathing as he realized the extent to which he bullied a child.

**So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning, askin' fer advice." **

_Yes_, though Fudge, _Dumbledore had always readily received my owl and returned it in kind with good advice. Nothing was ever commanding but fair and unbiased. He could have given me advice to look like a fool if he truly wanted to discredit me._

Fudge was really starting to become disquieted now. Now, that he had spent some time away from the office where everybody was on his side. Now, that he had been back around Dumbledore for an extended period of time after having first heard about his startling opinion. Now, that he saw the boy of his slander campaign and just how miserable he looked even though all the attention was focused on him. Fudge sighed to himself still fidgeting with his bowler hat.

**"But what does a Ministry of Magic ****_do_****?" **

**"Well, their main job is to keep it from the Muggles that there's still witches an' wizards up an' down the country." **

**"Why?" **

**"****_Why? _****Blimey, Harry, everyone'd be wantin' magic solutions to their problems. Nah, we're best left alone." **

**At this moment the boat bumped gently into the harbor wall. Hagrid folded up his newspaper, and they clambered up the stone steps onto the street. **

**Passersby stared a lot at Hagrid as they walked through the little town to the station. Harry couldn't blame them. Not only was Hagrid twice as tall as anyone else, he kept pointing at perfectly ordinary things like parking meters and saying loudly, "See that, Harry? Things these Muggles dream up, eh?" **

"Subtle," said Dean Thomas grinning at Hagrid. Hagrid flushed.

**"Hagrid," said Harry, panting a bit as he ran to keep up, "did you say there are ****_dragons _****at Gringotts?" **

**"Well, so they say," said Hagrid. "Crikey, I'd like a dragon." **

**"You'd ****_like _****one?" **

Harry, Ron, and Hermione shot Hagrid a concerned look he did not meet as he was red and looking down at the table. They looked at each other with apprehension, but turned back to the book all the same.

**"Wanted one ever since I was a kid — here we go." **

**They had reached the station. There was a train to London in five minutes' time. Hagrid, who didn't understand "Muggle money," as he called it, gave the bills to Harry so he could buy their tickets. **

**People stared more than ever on the train. Hagrid took up two seats and sat knitting what looked like a canary-yellow circus tent. **

"What was it Hagrid?" asked Collin Creevy.

"Ah," said Hagrid coming out of his revelry. "Tha' was a blanket for fang."

**"Still got yer letter, Harry?" he asked as he counted stitches. **

**Harry took the parchment envelope out of his pocket. **

**"Good," said Hagrid. "There's a list there of everything yeh need." **

**Harry unfolded a second piece of paper he hadn't noticed the night before, and read: **

**_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY _**

**_UNIFORM _**

**_First-year students will require: _**

**_1. Three sets of plain work robes (black) _**

**_2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear _**

"I got rid of mine after first year, I hated always having hat hair," muttered Pavarti.

**_3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar) _**

**_4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings) _**

**_Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags _**

**_COURSE BOOKS _**

**_All students should have a copy of each of the following: _**

**_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)by Miranda Goshawk _**

**_A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot _**

**_Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling _**

**_A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch _**

**_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore _**

**_Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger _**

**_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander _**

**_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble _**

"Still a better book than Slinkhard's," said Harry loudly. Umbridge glared at him though there was an affirmative murmuring heard around the room.

**_OTHER EQUIPMENT _**

**_1 wand _**

**_1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) _**

**_1 set of glass or crystal phials _**

**_1 telescope set _**

**_1 brass scales _**

**_Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad _**

**_PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS _**

"Unless of course you are a brilliant quidditch player," said Katie Bell beaming at Harry. Harry grinned back as the Gryffindor table at large agreed with her as well as a few quidditch fans from other houses. Harry supposed it helped now that they didn't have to play against him to admit that he was good.

**"Can we buy all this in London?" Harry wondered aloud. **

**"If yeh know where to go," said Hagrid. **

**Harry had never been to London before. **

"Actually I had never been anywhere outside Little Whinging before," commented Harry off-handedly not realizing he was again reminding those who cared for him how awful the Dursleys were.

**Although Hagrid seemed to know where he was going, he was obviously not used to getting there in an ordinary way. He got stuck in the ticket barrier on the Underground, and complained loudly that the seats were too small and the trains too slow. **

**"I don't know how the Muggles manage without magic," he said as they climbed a broken-down escalator that led up to a bustling road lined with shops. **

**Hagrid was so huge that he parted the crowd easily; all Harry had to do was keep close behind him. They passed book shops and music stores, hamburger restaurants and cinemas, but nowhere that looked as if it could sell you a magic wand. This was just an ordinary street full of ordinary people. Could there really be piles of wizard gold buried miles beneath them? Were there really shops that sold spell books and broomsticks? Might this not all be some huge joke that the Dursleys had cooked up? If Harry hadn't known that the Dursleys had no sense of humor, he might have thought so; yet somehow, even though everything Hagrid had told him so far was unbelievable, Harry couldn't help trusting him. **

Hagrid beamed at Harry, and Harry smiled back. He'd always trust Hagrid.

**"This is it," said Hagrid, coming to a halt, "the Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place." **

**It was a tiny, grubby-looking pub. If Hagrid hadn't pointed it out, Harry wouldn't have noticed it was there. The people hurrying by didn't glance at it. Their eyes slid from the big book shop on one side to the record shop on the other as if they couldn't see the Leaky Cauldron at all. In fact, Harry had the most peculiar feeling that only he and Hagrid could see it. **

**Before he could mention this, Hagrid had steered him inside. **

**For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut. The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him, and the bartender reached for a glass, saying, "The usual, Hagrid?" **

**"Can't, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business," said Hagrid, clapping his great hand on Harry's shoulder and making Harry's knees buckle. **

"Oh, Hagrid," said both McGonagall and Sprout in exasperation.

**"Good Lord," said the bartender, peering at Harry, "is this — can this be —?" **

**The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent. **

**"Bless my soul," whispered the old bartender, "Harry Potter… what an honor." **

**He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed toward Harry and seized his hand, tears in his eyes. **

**"Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back." **

**Harry didn't know what to say. Everyone was looking at him. The old woman with the pipe was puffing on it without realizing it had gone out. Hagrid was beaming. **

**Then there was a great scraping of chairs and the next moment, Harry found himself shaking hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron. **

**"Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, can't believe I'm meeting you at last." **

**"So proud, Mr. Potter, I'm just so proud." **

**"Always wanted to shake your hand — I'm all of a flutter." **

**"Delighted, Mr. Potter, just can't tell you, Diggle's the name, Dedalus Diggle." **

**"I've seen you before!" said Harry, as Dedalus Diggle's top hat fell off in his excitement. **

**"You bowed to me once in a shop." **

**"He remembers!" cried Dedalus Diggle, looking around at everyone. "Did you hear that? He remembers me!" **

McGonagall rolled her eyes at Dedalus's antics while a few other professors smiled fondly at the memory of him.

**Harry shook hands again and again — Doris Crockford kept coming back for more. **

**A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching. **

**"Professor Quirrell!" said Hagrid. **

Those people in the Great Hall who knew the true story of said Professor glared at the book.

**"Harry, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts." **

**"P-P-Potter," stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Harry's hand, "c-can't t-tell you how p-pleased I am to meet you." **

**"What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?" **

**"D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he'd rather not think about it. "N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?" **

"Of course not," said Fred.

"Yeah," agreed George. "Harry is so good it's like he could teach it himself or something." The twins smirked and the rest of the member of the DA tried to hide their own grins.

**He laughed nervously. "You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself." He looked terrified at the very thought. **

**But the others wouldn't let Professor Quirrell keep Harry to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. At last, Hagrid managed to make himself heard over the babble. **

**"Must get on — lots ter buy. Come on, Harry." **

**Doris Crockford shook Harry's hand one last time, and Hagrid led them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds. **

**Hagrid grinned at Harry. **

**"Told yeh, didn't I? Told yeh you was famous. Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet yeh — mind you, he's usually tremblin'." **

A few students laughed at the memory, mostly those who didn't know or didn't believe the truth behind Quirrel's turban.

**"Is he always that nervous?" **

**"Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience… They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag — never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject — now, where's me umbrella?" **

**Vampires? Hags? Harry's head was swimming. Hagrid, meanwhile, was counting bricks in the wall above the trash can. **

**"Three up… two across…" he muttered. "Right, stand back, Harry." **

**He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella. **

**The brick he had touched quivered — it wriggled — in the middle, a small hole appeared — it grew wider and wider — a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight. **

**"Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley." **

**He grinned at Harry's amazement. They stepped through the archway. Harry looked quickly over his shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into solid wall. **

**The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons — All Sizes — Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver — Self-Stirring — Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them. **

**"Yeah, you'll be needin' one," said Hagrid, "but we gotta get yer money first." **

**Harry wished he had about eight more eyes. **

Ron shuddered at the thought of spiders. Fred and George had really started to notice the effect their prank on their little brother had. And dare they say it but they were beginning to regret their prank.

**He turned his head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A plump woman outside an Apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, "Dragon liver, sixteen Sickles an ounce, they're mad…" **

"Mum?" asked the Weasley's. Harry thought but shrugged as he couldn't clearly remember the hair color of the woman at the apothecary.

**A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium — Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. Several boys of about Harry's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. **

**"Look," Harry heard one of them say, "the new Nimbus Two Thousand — fastest ever —" **

Harry took a moment to reminisce on his first broom. He still loved his firebolt, but there is nothing quite like the memory of your first broomstick.

**There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon… **

"Wow, Harry," said Seamus quite suddenly. Harry raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't think I take in that much when I go to Diagon Alley. I have no idea what's in most of the barrels around there." Many people nodded their agreement.

**"Gringotts," said Hagrid. **

**They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was — **

**"Yeah, that's a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him. The goblin was about a head shorter than Harry. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Harry noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them: **

**_Enter, stranger, but take heed _**

**_Of what awaits the sin of greed, _**

**_For those who take, but do not earn, _**

**_Must pay most dearly in their turn. _**

**_So if you seek beneath our floors _**

**_A treasure that was never yours, _**

**_Thief, you have been warned, beware _**

**_Of finding more than treasure there. _**

**"Like I said, Yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid. **

There were murmurs of agreement around the Great Hall.

"I doubt even the Golden Trio could get into Gringotts," commented Micheal Cormac.

"The what?" asked Harry. He looked at Ron and Hermione who also had bewildered expressions.

"The Golden Trio," Micheal repeated. "You know that's what they call you three."

(Man I want to get to the seventh book just for all the reactions to Harry, Ron and Hermione breaking into the three most guarded places in the wizarding UK)

"They do?" asked Harry, Ron, and Hermione together. The majority of the Great Hall nodded in agreement even to the Golden Trio's surprise the Weasley siblings.

"You guys knew?" asked Ron.

"Yeah, I don't know when exactly it happened, but yeah when people talk about all three of you together they just sort of call you the Golden Trio," said Ginny casually. Most of the staff, Lupin, Tonks, and Kingsley were trying to hide smiles at the accurate name assigned to the three. Dumbledore continued reading while Ron, Harry and Hermione continued to marvel over the discovery of their nickname.

**A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid and Harry made for the counter. **

**"Morning," said Hagrid to a free goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Mr. Harry Potter's safe." **

**"You have his key, sir?" **

**"Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid, and he started emptying his pockets onto the counter, scattering a handful of moldy dog biscuits over the goblin's book of numbers. The goblin wrinkled his nose. Harry watched the goblin on their right weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals. **

**"Got it," said Hagrid at last, holding up a tiny golden key. **

**The goblin looked at it closely. **

**"That seems to be in order." **

**"An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid importantly, throwing out his chest. "It's about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen." The goblin read the letter carefully. **

**"Very well," he said, handing it back to Hagrid, "I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!" **

**Griphook was yet another goblin. Once Hagrid had crammed all the dog biscuits back inside his pockets, he and Harry followed Griphook toward one of the doors leading off the hall. **

**"What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" Harry asked. **

"So who wants to take bets on how long it takes Harry to find out what's in that vault?" asked Fred down the table.

"Mr. Weasley may I remind you that betting is not allowed within Hogwarts," announced McGonagall giving both twins a stern look. The twins grinned at her, and she strongly had to resist an eye roll. Hermione did one for her knowing that as soon as they got back to Gryffindor tower she would have to put a stop to a betting ring.

**"Can't tell yeh that," said Hagrid mysteriously. "Very secret. Hogwarts business. Dumbledore's trusted me. More'n my job's worth ter tell yeh that." **

"Yeah, that will discourage him," said Ron and George together. People around the hall snickered.

**Griphook held the door open for them. Harry, who had expected more marble, was surprised. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks toward them. They climbed in — Hagrid with some difficulty — and were off. **

**At first they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. Harry tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible. **

"More than I could remember on my first time. I think my current record is up to the fifteenth turn," commented Tonks with a grin.

**The rattling cart seemed to know its own way, because Griphook wasn't steering. **

**Harry's eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but he kept them wide open. Once, he thought he saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but too late — they plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor. **

**"I never know," Harry called to Hagrid over the noise of the cart, "what's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?" **

"Stalactites hang from the ceiling, and stalagmites come out from the floor," explained Hermione quickly. Harry shared a look with Ron that clearly said "Typical Hermione".

**"Stalagmite's got an 'm' in it," **

The great hall giggled at Hagrid and others looked green at the memory of riding through Gringotts.

**said Hagrid. "An' don' ask me questions just now, I think I'm gonna be sick." **

**He did look very green, and when the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall to stop his knees from trembling. **

**Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Harry gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts. **

"WOW!" said Neville in amazement at Harry's wealth. The feeling was shared quite a bit among the rest of the students.

**"All yours," smiled Hagrid. **

**All Harry's — it was incredible. The Dursleys couldn't have known about this or they'd have had it from him faster than blinking. How often had they complained how much Harry cost them to keep? **

Harry glared now with the knowledge that the Dursley's had been getting money for him from the start.

**And all the time there had been a small fortune**

"Small?" asked Ron incredulously, choking on his juice that was left over from dinner.

** belonging to him, buried deep under London. Hagrid helped Harry pile some of it into a bag. **

**"The gold ones are Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough. **

"I prefer the metric system," commented a muggleborn Hufflepuff with a sigh.

**Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms, we'll keep the rest safe for yeh." He turned to Griphook. "Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please, and can we go more slowly?" **

**"One speed only," said Griphook. **

**They were going even deeper now and gathering speed. The air became colder and colder as they hurtled round tight corners. They went rattling over an underground ravine, and Harry leaned over the side to try to see what was down at the dark bottom, but Hagrid groaned and pulled him back by the scruff of his neck. **

"Definitely a Gryffindor," said a rather green looking seventh year Ravenclaw boy.

**Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole. **

**"Stand back," said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away. **

"That's really high security," said Malfoy paying close attention now.

"Oh, Malfoy please we already know what it is," said Ginny dismissively. Some people gave her confused looks to which the other's who knew gave surprised looks.

"It's Harry's first year so it has to be the Sorcerer's Stone," explained Ginny.

(Philosopher's Stone to others I know, but in case you haven't caught on yet. I am totally from the US, though I try to keep the UK speech pattern with the characters I know I get off at times . . . a lot.)

**"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there," said Griphook. **

**"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" Harry asked. **

**"About once every ten years," said Griphook with a rather nasty grin. **

**Something really extraordinary had to be inside this top security vault, Harry was sure, and he leaned forward eagerly, expecting to see fabulous jewels at the very least — but at first he thought it was empty. Then he noticed a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor. **

"Sometimes the smallest things are the most precious," said Luna back in her dreamy tones. Harry had to agree.

**Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. Harry longed to know what it was, but knew better than to ask. **

**"Come on, back in this infernal cart, and don't talk to me on the way back, it's best if I keep me mouth shut," said Hagrid. **

**One wild cart ride later they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. Harry didn't know where to run first now that he had a bag full of money. He didn't have to know how many Galleons there were to a pound **

"I think there is about five pounds to a galleon," said Hermione.

(Got this from a random source so I hope it is right)

**to know that he was holding more money than he'd had in his whole life — more money than even Dudley had ever had. **

**"Might as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, nodding toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Listen, Harry, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? **

"Hagrid," admonished McGonagall again.

"Really, Minerva it is a book I don't think constant admonishment is going to change the past," sneered Snape. McGonagall sent him a glare.

**I hate them Gringotts carts." He did still look a bit sick, so Harry entered Madam Malkin's shop alone, feeling nervous. **

"Sorry, Harry I shouldn' 'ave left you," said Hagrid with regret that Harry had to be nervous. Harry shrugged it off.

**Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve. "Hogwarts, dear?" she said, when Harry started to speak. "Got the lot here — another young man being fitted up just now, in fact." **

**In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. Madam Malkin stood Harry on a stool next to him slipped a long robe over his head, and began to pin it to the right length. **

**"Hello," said the boy, "Hogwarts, too?" **

**"Yes," said Harry. **

**"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," **

"Doesn't the wand choose the wizard," asked Collin Creevy.

"That is what they say," replied Dumbledore before continuing.

**said the boy. He had a bored, drawling voice. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow." **

"Draco?" asked Ron.

"Draco," confirmed Harry with a put upon sigh. He said it loud enough that the next table heard and it got passed around the hall that this is when Harry met Draco. The surrounding Gryffindors grinned at them.

**Harry was strongly reminded of Dudley. **

Malfoy sputtered in his drink at the comparison just as he was trying to wash down the last of his dinner. He glared at Harry who grinned back.

**"Have ****_you _****got your own broom?" the boy went on. **

**"No," said Harry. **

**"Play Quidditch at all?" **

**"No," Harry said again, wondering what on earth Quidditch could be. **

Scandalized gasps were heard around the hall at the fact that Harry Potter seeker extraordinaire had at one point not known what Quidditch was. Hermione rolled her eyes.

**"****_I _****do — Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?" **

**"No," said Harry, feeling more stupid by the minute. **

**"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been — imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" **

The Hufflepuffs looked affronted, and were shooting glares at Malfoy. Not that he cared.

**"Mmm," said Harry, wishing he could say something a bit more interesting. **

**"I say, look at that man!" said the boy suddenly, nodding toward the front window. Hagrid was standing there, grinning at Harry and pointing at two large ice creams to show he couldn't come in. **

**"That's Hagrid," said Harry, pleased to know something the boy didn't. "He works at Hogwarts." **

**"Oh," said the boy, "I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?" **

**"He's the gamekeeper," said Harry. He was liking the boy less and less every second. **

**"Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of ****_savage _****— **

"Oi," yelled Fred and George as other people glared at Malfoy.

**lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends up setting fire to his bed." **

**"I think he's brilliant," said Harry coldly. **

Hagrid beamed at Harry though his face was red in embarrassment.

**"****_Do _****you?" said the boy, with a slight sneer. "Why is he with you? Where are your parents?" **

**"They're dead," said Harry shortly. He didn't feel much like going into the matter with this boy. **

**"Oh, sorry," said the other, not sounding sorry at all. **

"Malfoy!" exclaimed McGonagall giving him a deadly glare. Malfoy looked somewhat pink in the face and looked at Snape for help, but Snape did not seem too happy with him either. Malfoy was starting to get the feeling he was going to be in a lot of trouble before these books were done.

**"But they were ****_our _****kind, weren't they?" **

**"They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean." **

**"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? **

The muggleborns around the room glared at him while many of his fellow Slytherins nodded their head in agreement.

**They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?" **

**But before Harry could answer, Madam Malkin said, "That's you done, my dear," and Harry, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy, hopped down from the footstool. **

**"Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," said the drawling boy. **

**Harry was rather quiet as he ate the ice cream Hagrid had bought him (chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts). **

**"What's up?" said Hagrid. **

**"Nothing," Harry lied. They stopped to buy parchment and quills. Harry cheered up a bit when he found a bottle of ink that changed color as you wrote. When they had left the shop, he said, "Hagrid, what's Quidditch?" **

**"Blimey, Harry, I keep forgettin' how little yeh know — not knowin' about Quidditch!"**

McGonagall opened her mouth to admonish Hagrid again then closed it at an expectant look from Snape.

**"Don't make me feel worse," said Harry. He told Hagrid about the pale boy in Madam Malkin's. **

**"— and he said people from Muggle families shouldn't even be allowed in —" **

**"Yer not ****_from _****a Muggle family. If he'd known who yeh ****_were _****— he's grown up knowin' yer name if his parents are wizardin' folk. You saw what everyone in the Leaky Cauldron was like when they saw yeh. Anyway, what does he know about it, some o' the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in 'em in a long line o' Muggles — look at yer mum! Look what she had fer a sister!" **

**"So what ****_is _****Quidditch?" **

**"It's our sport. Wizard sport. It's like — like soccer in the Muggle world — everyone follows Quidditch — played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls — sorta hard ter explain the rules." **

"No, it's not," said several Quidditch fans including teachers in the room causing Hagrid to flush scarlett again.

**"And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?" **

**"School houses. There's four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but —" **

"Hey!" yelled the Hufflepuffs.

"Harry didn' let me finished. I said tha' is wha' everyone says not wha' I say." Hagrid said defensively. The Hufflepuff seemed satisfied at this explanation.

**"I bet I'm in Hufflepuff," said Harry gloomily. **

**"Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin,"**

All the Slytherins gave a glare at Hagrid who this time did not flush or anything but ignored them.

"Like we would want Potter anyways," said Pansy to Malfoy, who smirked in agreement.

** said Hagrid darkly. "There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin. You-Know-Who was one." **

**"Vol-, sorry —You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?" **

**"Years an' years ago," said Hagrid. **

**They bought Harry's school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all. Even Dudley, who never read anything, would have been wild to get his hands on some of these. Hagrid almost had to drag Harry away from ****_Curses and Countercurses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying and Much, Much More) _****by Professor Vindictus Viridian. **

(Appropriately named.)

**"I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley." **

**"I'm not sayin' that's not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances,"**

"Like when Dementors attack?" asked Harry. Umbridge glared down at him, but Madam Bones looked at him consideringly.

** said Hagrid. "An' anyway, yeh couldn' work any of them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level." **

**Hagrid wouldn't let Harry buy a solid gold cauldron, either ("It says pewter on yer list"), but they got a nice set of scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope. Then they visited the Apothecary, which was fascinating enough to make up for its horrible smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages. Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung from the ceiling. **

Snape looked bewilderedly at the book sure he must of misheard. Potter with an interest in something related to potion.

_No,_ said a voice in the back of his head. _Not Potter, but Harry, Lily's Harry. _Snape could recall potion with Lily and how much she enjoyed it. But Potter had always been so horrible at it. _Has he really or have you never given him a chance to be good at it._ That annoying voice in the back of Snape's head popped up again. He waved it away for now to be reflected upon at a later date.

**While Hagrid asked the man behind the counter for a supply of some basic potion ingredients for Harry, Harry himself examined silver unicorn horns at twenty-one Galleons each and minuscule, glittery-black beetle eyes (five Knuts a scoop). **

**Outside the Apothecary, Hagrid checked Harry's list again. **

**"Just yer wand left — A yeah, an' I still haven't got yeh a birthday present." **

**Harry felt himself go red. **

**"You don't have to —" **

**"I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh'd be laughed at**

Neville sniffed in indignation thinking of Trevor who he had to admit he had lost again only this morning. He needed to search for him and he was hoping he had not ended up in the girl's dormitory again.

** — an' I don' like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they're dead useful, carry yer mail an' everythin'." **

**Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Harry now carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing. **

"She's so pretty," cooed Lavendar Brown with Pavarti. Many of the other girls were aweing in agreement.

**He couldn't stop stammering his thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell. **

An appreciative round of laughter followed this.

**"Don' mention it," said Hagrid gruffly. "Don' expect you've had a lotta presents from them Dursleys. Just Ollivanders left now — only place fer wands, Ollivanders, and yeh gotta have the best wand." **

**A magic wand… this was what Harry had been really looking forward to. **

"Most do," said Dumbledore with a chuckle.

**The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window. **

**A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair that Hagrid sat on to wait. Harry felt strangely as though he had entered a very strict library; he swallowed a lot of new questions that had just occurred to him and looked instead at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of his neck prickled. **

"I never felt anything like that," said Ginny in surprise. Ron and Hermione who were use to Harry having such feelings and seeing things they couldn't see did not comment. However, Harry was getting interested looks again from Dumbledore, Kingsley, Lupin, and others among the staff and visitors. It was starting to make him wonder.

**The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic. **

**"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Harry jumped. Hagrid must have jumped, too, because there was a loud crunching noise and he got quickly off the spindly chair. **

**An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop. **

"He is sort of creepy," commented Cho to Marietta.

(Just as a warning about my opinion on Cho. I don't particularly like her. I mean I will try not to hate on her, but I tend to just ignore her existence even though I know she is Harry's love interest from about third book on)

**"Hello," said Harry awkwardly. **

**"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work." **

**Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Harry wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy. **

Several people nodded their heads in agreement.

**"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it — it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course." **

**Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes. **

**"And that's where…" **

**Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a long, white finger. **

**"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands… well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do…" **

Dumbledore heaved a sigh thinking the same thing about the young Tom Riddle on the day he met him in the orphanage.

**He shook his head and then, to Harry's relief, spotted Hagrid. **

**"Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again… Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?" **

**"It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid. **

**"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?" said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern. **

**"Er — yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly. **

**"But you don't ****_use _****them?" said Mr. Ollivander sharply. **

**"Oh, no, sir," said Hagrid quickly. Harry noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke. **

"Constant Vigilance!" shouted Tonks quite suddenly causing Lupin who was right beside her to practically jump on the table. She giggled at him causing him to flush. "Sorry, but really Mad-Eye would be so proud of Harry's observation skills."

Harry grinned.

**"Hmmm," said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look. "Well, now — Mr. Potter. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?" **

**"Er — well, I'm right-handed," said Harry. **

**"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said, **

**"Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand." **

"Sort of makes me wish I had my own wand instead of Dad's old wand," remarked Neville. Harry gave Neville and appraising look remembering the improvement in Ron's own wand work after he had replaced Charlie's old wand with a wand of his own in third year.

**Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes. **

**"That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave." **

**Harry took the wand and (feeling foolish)**

"It does feel a bit foolish doesn't it," said Hermione with a small smile.

** waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once. **

**"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try —" **

**Harry tried — but he had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander. **

"I hate when he does that," remarked Ginny and Fred.

**"No, no — here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out." **

**Harry tried. And tried. He had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become. **

"Wow, Harry it took a while for your wand didn't it. I got mine on the third try," commented Hermione.

"Really, I got my new wand on the fifth," said Ron. A few other students commented they got their rather early on as well but a few like Luna, Ginny, and Fred commented that it took them forever to get the right wand.

"Mr. Ollivander is a very perceptive man," said Dumbledore interrupting the buzz of wand stories that had broken out. "And wands tend to have certain attributes that match well with certain personalities among wizards. How long it takes Mr. Ollivander depends mostly on how difficult it is for him to discern your character."

The great hall reflected upon this news as Dumbledore continued.

**"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere — I wonder, now — yes, why not — unusual combination — holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple." **

**Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. **

"This is it," said an excited first year Gryffindor, who was thoroughly wrapped up in the story and didn't even noticed the amused glances he was getting.

**He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. **

"That didn't happen to mine," exclaimed quite a few people. Dumbledore smiled fondly at everybody's interest.

"A wand's reaction much like the wand and witch or wizard it belongs to is a unique thing," Dumbledore announced.

**Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well… how curious… how very curious…" **

Harry tensed. How could he have forgotten that they were going to cover his wand in this chapter. What would they think? He still had not told Ron and Hermione about the connection between his wand and Lord Voldemort's. Everybody around Harry noticed his shift in tension and braced themselves.

(Correct me if I am wrong. But I can't remember for sure.)

**He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, **

**"Curious… curious…" **

**"Sorry," said Harry, "but ****_what's _****curious?" **

**Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare. **

Everybody leaned in close also no doubt wondering what was so curious.

**"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather — just one other. **

Whispers went around the room like wildfire but were silenced almost immediately as Dumbledore continued.

**It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother — why, its brother gave you that scar." **

"What!?" exclaimed the majority of the Great Hall. Ron, Lupin, and Hermione were looking wide-eyed.

"I think it would be good to mention before wild conjectures are made," said Dumbledore quite calmly getting everybody's attention. "That the phoenix mentioned is my very own pet, Fawkes."

As if saying his name was a summons said bird flew into the Great Hall and perched itself on the back of Dumbledore's chair. Harry smiled at the bird something about Fawkes always gave him comfort.

People around Harry were looking a range of emotions from startled to shocked.

**Harry swallowed. **

**"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember… I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter… After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things — terrible, yes, but great." **

People were looking at Harry again with wide eyes. Even Lupin and some of the teachers looked flummoxed at this new piece of information.

**Harry shivered. He wasn't sure he liked Mr. Ollivander too much. He paid seven gold Galleons for his wand, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop. **

**The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Harry and Hagrid made their way back down Diagon Alley, back through the wall, back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty. Harry didn't speak at all as they walked down the road; he didn't even notice how much people were gawking at them on the Underground, laden as they were with all their funny-shaped packages, with the snowy owl asleep in its cage on Harry's lap. Up another escalator, out into Paddington station; Harry only realized where they were when Hagrid tapped him on the shoulder. **

**"Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves," he said. **

**He bought Harry a hamburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them. Harry kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow. **

"I feel that way everytime I go back to my parent's house," commented Hermione trying to side track Harry from the stares he was still getting from the wand surprise.

**"You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet," said Hagrid. **

**Harry wasn't sure he could explain. He'd just had the best birthday of his life — and yet — he chewed his hamburger, trying to find the words. **

**"Everyone thinks I'm special," he said at last. "All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander… but I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol-, sorry — I mean, the night my parents died." **

People who did not know Harry looked startled at the fact that the boy-who-lived did not see himself as special at all.

**Hagrid leaned across the table. Behind the wild beard and eyebrows he wore a very kind smile. **

**"Don' you worry, Harry. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you'll be just fine. Just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts — I did — still do, 'smatter of fact." **

**Hagrid helped Harry on to the train that would take him back to the Dursleys, then handed him an envelope. **

**"Yer ticket fer Hogwarts, " he said. "First o' September — King's Cross — it's all on yer ticket. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, she'll know where to find me… . See yeh soon, Harry." **

**The train pulled out of the station. **

"How did you get back to your house? Surely the Dursley's didn't pick you up?" asked Hermione.

"I took a bus from the train station," said Harry reassuringly.

"Alone? When you were 11?" asked Hermione her outrage growing again.

"Hermione, it's fine. In case you didn't notice I survived a lot worse than a bus ride at age 11," Harry replied a little harshly. Hermione opened her mouth to retort, took a good look at Harry's face, and closed it again.

**Harry wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of sight; he rose in his seat and pressed his nose against the window, but he blinked and Hagrid had gone. **

The dinner plates had long disappeared by the end of the chapter, and many people's attention were divided between staring at Harry and staring at the book. As soon as Dumbledore had fallen silent whispers had started to hiss around the hall about the link between Harry's wand and Voldemort's. Harry now that he finally braved a look around actually found it most interesting that it seemed the Slytherin's were most disturbed by this news. Indeed by what Harry could make out of their conversations half of them seemed in denial.

"Well," said Dumbledore interrupting the talk. "One more before bed I think."

"I shall read headmaster," volunteered little Professor Flitwick, who at once levitated the book over to himself.


	7. Chapter 6

**Ok so I totally lost the flash drive this one was written on found it in the laundry (have no idea how it survived both the washer and dryer) then realised I had written part of it on my work computer after trying to start writting it again. Finally found all the peices and put it together. Hope I didn't miss anything and all my sentences are complete at this point. I hope to follow up with the next chapter soon. I have already started it.**

* * *

**"The Journey From Platform Nine and Three-Quarters**," called out Professor Flitwick.

**Harry's last month with the Dursleys wasn't fun. **

"As opposed to all those other fun months with the Dursleys?" asked Ron sarcastically. Harry shot him an appreciative grin.

**True, Dudley was now so scared of Harry he wouldn't stay in the same room, **

"Serves him right," said a self-righteous Ernie McMillan to his Huffelpuff friends who were nodding in agreement.

**while Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't shut Harry in his cupboard, force him to do anything, or shout at him — in fact, they didn't speak to him at all. Half terrified, half furious, they acted as though any chair with Harry in it were empty. Although this was an improvement in many ways, it did become a bit depressing after a while. **

Hermione bristled at this and then glanced over to Madam Bones. Madam Bones was furiously writing more notes for the case against Harry Potter's relatives. Hermione took what solace she could find in that, and turned back to the book.

**Harry kept to his room, with his new owl for company. He had decided to call her Hedwig, a name he had found in ****_A History of Magic_****. **

"Only useful thing I ever got out of that book," muttered Harry to Ron, who snorted and glanced nervously at Hermione who was too wrapped up hoping Madam Bones got everything she needed for her case to notice their conversation.

**His school books were very interesting. **

Gasps of horror were heard around the room.

"Harry, how could you?" asked Fred in mock betrayl as George and Lee Jordan acted as though they were crying on the other's shoulder. This got Hermione's attention long enough for her to role her eyes at their antics. Lupin smiled in amusement as the seen played out and shared a look with Tonks whose hair had turn bubblegum pink for the occasion.

**He lay on his bed reading late into the night, Hedwig swooping in and out of the open window as she pleased. It was lucky that Aunt Petunia didn't come in to vacuum anymore, because Hedwig kept bringing back dead mice. Every night before he went to sleep, Harry ticked off another day on the piece of paper he had pinned to the wall, counting down to September the first. **

**On the last day of August he thought he'd better speak to his aunt and uncle about getting to King's Cross station the next day, **

"You think?" asked Dean to the book.

"Dean, it's a book," said Seamus looking at Dean as though he was crazy reminding him of the time he had tried to explain the finer details of football to Seamus. Dean shrugged off his comment though he couldn't help himself he was really getting into the book.

**so he went down to the living room where they were watching a quiz show on television. He cleared his throat to let them know he was there, and Dudley screamed and ran from the room. **

There was a great chorus of laughter at Dudley's expense. Harry started to vaguely wonder what the Dursley's reaction would be if they knew a great crowd of witches and wizards were getting their amusement from their actions.

**"Er — Uncle Vernon?" **

**Uncle Vernon grunted to show he was listening. **

**"Er — I need to be at King's Cross tomorrow to — to go to Hogwarts." **

**Uncle Vernon grunted again. **

**"Would it be all right if you gave me a lift?" **

**Grunt. Harry supposed that meant yes. **

**"Thank you." **

"Wow, Harry speaks troll," said Neville. It took a couple of seconds for everybody at the Gryffindor table to realize that Neville had just made a very good joke, and then the table very much like their mascot, roared with laughter causing the other tables to stare as many of them had not heard.

**He was about to go back upstairs when Uncle Vernon actually spoke. **

**"Funny way to get to a wizards' school, the train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?" **

"No, but as magic carpets were outlawed in-" "Hermione," Ron cut across before she could get into stride about the legislature behind magic carpets. "It's a book I don't think it cares."

Hermione blushed while her friends and teachers smiled at her fondly.

**Harry didn't say anything. **

**"Where is this school, anyway?" **

**"I don't know," said Harry, realizing this for the first time. He pulled the ticket Hagrid had given him out of his pocket. **

**"I just take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock," he read. **

**His aunt and uncle stared. **

**"Platform what?" **

**"Nine and three-quarters." **

**"Don't talk rubbish," said Uncle Vernon. "There is no platform nine and three-quarters." **

"Petunia should know," muttered Snaped under his breath and remembering seeing her at the station completely ignoring Lily and greatly upsetting her by never telling her goodbye when she went off to school.

**"It's on my ticket." **

**"Barking," said Uncle Vernon, "howling mad, the lot of them. You'll see. You just wait. All right, we'll take you to King's Cross. We're going up to London tomorrow anyway, or I wouldn't bother." **

"Why that little . . ." seethed Ginny exchanging looks with Hermione that had the hairs on the back of those nearest to them sticking up.

**"Why are you going to London?" Harry asked, trying to keep things friendly. **

**"Taking Dudley to the hospital," growled Uncle Vernon. "Got to have that ruddy tail removed before he goes to Smeltings." **

"WAY TO GO HAGRID!" cheered Collin Creevy to much agreement and laughter around the hall.

**Harry woke at five o'clock the next morning and was too excited and nervous to go back to sleep. He got up and pulled on his jeans because he didn't want to walk into the station in his wizard's robes — he'd change on the train. **

"Glad you have sense since someone forgot to tell you," said Professor McGonagall eyeing Hagrid who turned crimson.

**He checked his Hogwarts list yet again to make sure he had everything he needed, saw that Hedwig was shut safely in her cage, and then paced the room, waiting for the Dursleys to get up. Two hours later, Harry's huge, heavy trunk had been loaded into the Dursleys' car, Aunt Petunia had talked Dudley into sitting next to Harry, and they had set off. **

**They reached King's Cross at half past ten. Uncle Vernon dumped Harry's trunk onto a cart and wheeled it into the station for him. Harry thought this was strangely kind until Uncle Vernon stopped dead, facing the platforms with a nasty grin on his face. **

**"Well, there you are, boy. Platform nine — platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seem to have built it yet, do they?" **

**He was quite right, of course. There was a big plastic number nine over one platform and a big plastic number ten over the one next to it, and in the middle, nothing at all. **

**"Have a good term," said Uncle Vernon with an even nastier smile. He left without another word. **

Hermione had started to sputter and Harry and Ron were backing their way into Lupin and wondering when her wand had turned up in her hand.

"Why- he- I am going to- he dared to," it didn't seem as if she was capable of completing a sentence anymore. Harry leaned around Ron and looked at Hermione.

"Um, Hermione, I know these things are upsetting, but for now that's just the way it is, or in this case was, can you tone down on the anger. You are starting to act like you keep saying I am acting," said Harry trying to sound reasonable. Ron gave a small nod in agreement.

Hermione looked at the two then her wand and brushed.

"Sorry Harry they just upset me so much," said Hermione putting her wand up and looking back up at Professor Flitwick.

**Harry turned and saw the Dursleys drive away. All three of them were laughing. Harry's mouth went rather dry. What on earth was he going to do? He was starting to attract a lot of funny looks, because of Hedwig. He'd have to ask someone. **

**He stopped a passing guard, but didn't dare mention platform nine and three-quarters. The guard had never heard of Hogwarts and when Harry couldn't even tell him what part of the country it was in, he started to get annoyed, as though Harry was being stupid on purpose. Getting desperate, Harry asked for the train that left at eleven o'clock, but the guard said there wasn't one. **

"Nice try, though" said Tonks noting he was at least careful about what he said.

"Sorry, 'bout that Harry. Blimey I guess it jus' slipped me mind," said Hagrid with a cheesy grin. Harry shrugged it off remembering how it was that that let him be introduced to the Weasley's making it worth it.

**In the end the guard strode away, muttering about time wasters. Harry was now trying hard not to panic. According to the large clock over the arrivals board, he had ten minutes left to get on the train to Hogwarts and he had no idea how to do it; he was stranded in the middle of a station with a trunk he could hardly lift, a pocket full of wizard money, and a large owl. **

**Hagrid must have forgotten to tell him something you had to do, like tapping the third brick on the left to get into Diagon Alley. He wondered if he should get out his wand and start tapping the ticket inspector's stand between platforms nine and ten. **

**At that moment a group of people passed just behind him and he caught a few words of what they were saying. **

**"— packed with Muggles, of course —" **

"Thank goodness," Hermione breathed out under her breath. She was going to have an aneurism by the end of this she just knew it.

**Harry swung round. The speaker was a plump woman who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair. Each of them was pushing a trunk like Harry's in front of him — and they had an ****_owl_****. **

**Heart hammering, Harry pushed his cart after them. They stopped and so did he, just near enough to hear what they were saying. **

**"Now, what's the platform number?" said the boys' mother. **

The Weasley family except Percy shook their head at their mother, but Percy did have trouble suppressing a smile at his loving mother and her antics. Why had he sent back her Christmas present? What would it have hurt him to just keep it?

**"Nine and three-quarters!" piped a small girl, also red-headed, who was holding her hand, "Mom, can't I go…" **

**"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet. All right, Percy, you go first." **

**What looked like the oldest boy marched toward platforms nine and ten. Harry watched, careful not to blink in case he missed it — but just as the boy reached the dividing barrier between the two platforms, a large crowd of tourists came swarming in front of him and by the time the last backpack had cleared away, the boy had vanished. **

**"Fred, you next," the plump woman said. **

**"I'm not Fred, I'm George," said the boy. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you ****_tell _****I'm George?" **

**"Sorry, George, dear." **

**"Only joking, I am Fred," said the boy, and off he went. **

"So they do that to everyone I see," said Professor Sprout to herself. McGonagall gave her a an apologetic smile as they were her Gryffindors.

**His twin called after him to hurry up, and he must have done so, because a second later, he had gone — but how had he done it? **

**Now the third brother was walking briskly toward the barrier he was almost there — and then, quite suddenly, he wasn't anywhere. **

**There was nothing else for it. **

**"Excuse me," Harry said to the plump woman. **

**"Hello, dear," she said. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too." **

**She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons. He was tall, thin, and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose. **

"Thanks mate," said Ron giving Harry a raised eyebrow. Harry gave Ron a sheepish grin, but really how else was he suppose to explain Ron. This interaction thankfully at least saved Ron and Harry from catching Lavender Brown's comment about big hands, that had Hermione sending her an absolute glare.

**"Yes," said Harry. "The thing is — the thing is, I don't know how to —" **

**"How to get onto the platform?" she said kindly, and Harry nodded. **

**"Not to worry," she said. "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron." **

**"Er — okay," said Harry. **

**He pushed his trolley around and stared at the barrier. It looked very solid. **

"One time it was very solid," said Harry with a smile to Ron, who snorted.

**He started to walk toward it. People jostled him on their way to platforms nine and ten. Harry walked more quickly. He was going to smash right into that barrier and then he'd be in trouble — leaning forward on his cart, he broke into a heavy run — the barrier was coming nearer and nearer — he wouldn't be able to stop — the cart was out of control — he was a foot away — he closed his eyes ready for the crash — **

**It didn't come… he kept on running… he opened his eyes. A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said ****_Hogwarts' Express, eleven o'clock_****. Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words ****_Platform Nine and Three-Quarters _****on it, He had done it. **

"Merlin, Potter you would think you had accomplished something extraordinary," drawled Malfoy getting a giggle from his usual gaggle of Slytherins. Flitwick cut across before a reply could be made which was good as about thirty people had bristled at the comment and seemed ready to take on Malfoy's comment.

**Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks. **

**The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats. Harry pushed his cart off down the platform in search of an empty seat. He passed a round-faced boy who was saying, "Gran, I've lost my toad again." **

Neville blushed.

**"Oh, ****_Neville_****," he heard the old woman sigh. **

**A boy with dreadlocks was surrounded by a small crowd. **

**"Give us a look, Lee, go on." **

"That's me and my tarantula!" said Lee in excitement. The twins sent him amused looks that made him slightly embarrassed.

"Whatever happened to that thing anyways?" asked Ron with a shiver.

"Dunno," replied Lee. "It ran off sometime during second year actually."

"Shame really," said Fred with George nodding in agreement. "We had so many more pranks we wanted to pull with it."

Harry noticed a few people around the hall shiver and assumed they were past pranking victims.

**The boy lifted the lid of a box in his arms, and the people around him shrieked and yelled as something inside poked out a long, hairy leg. **

**Harry pressed on through the crowd until he found an empty compartment near the end of the train. He put Hedwig inside first and then started to shove and heave his trunk toward the train door. He tried to lift it up the steps but could hardly raise one end and twice he dropped it painfully on his foot. **

**"Want a hand?" It was one of the red-haired twins he'd followed through the barrier. **

**"Yes, please," Harry panted. **

**"Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!" **

"Wow they can be nice?" said a Ravenclaw 6th year in surprise. The Gryffindor table looked at them in confusion before Angelina spoke up.

"What do you mean, they are always nice. Well at least as long as you aren't Slytherin," she said with a smirk.

"Well it wasn't very nice in my 5th year when they put a permanent sticking charm onto my cousin Arty's black hat. He had to shave his head in order to get it off," replied the Ravenclaw again in defiance. Professor Flitwick was now sending the twins a stern look which many professed was quite impressive given his usually kind demeanor and short stature. The Gryffindor table looked at Fred and George who looked surprised.

"Wait, Arty you mean Arty Jacobs?" asked Ginny giving the twins a look after receiving a nod from the still glaring Ravenclaw. "This wouln't be the same Arty who first asked me out after the Yule Ball, would it?"

The twins suddenly found the back of the book very fascinating.

"Sorry about your cousin, but don't worry about these two I will get them later," said Ginny to the Ravenclaw girl and turned back to the book. Lee looked like he was about to retort but the twins shot him a look that clearly said to keep quiet. This surprised Lee making him wonder about what the youngest Weasley was capable of as the twins kept shooting her nervous looks.

(again something I made up but the thing about all pranksters is they can go a little overboard from time to time especially when getting revenge for family so I thought it fit well)

**With the twins' help, Harry's trunk was at last tucked away in a corner of the compartment. **

**"Thanks," said Harry, pushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes. **

**"What's that?" said one of the twins suddenly, pointing at Harry's lightning scar. **

**"Blimey," said the other twin. "Are you —?" **

**"He is," said the first twin. "Aren't you?" he added to Harry. **

**"What?" said Harry. **

**"****_Harry Potter_****." chorused the twins. **

**"Oh, him," said Harry. "I mean, yes, I am." **

"Oh him? Really, Harry?" asked Hermione in amusement. Ron was grinning as well. Truth be told thought Harry though there was still plenty of times he felt that way when people would talk about Harry Potter it was like a complete disconnect between the Harry Potter they talked about and the Harry Potter that he is.

**The two boys gawked at him, and Harry felt himself turning red. Then, to his relief, a voice came floating in through the train's open door. **

**"Fred? George? Are you there?" **

**"Coming, Mom." **

**With a last look at Harry, the twins hopped off the train. **

**Harry sat down next to the window where, half hidden, he could watch the red-haired family on the platform and hear what they were saying. **

"Eavesdropping already?" asked Lupin raising an amused eyebrow. Harry ignored him feeling a flare up of anger that wasn't his, but still he thought to himself eavesdropping was about the only way he got any useful information lately.

**Their mother had just taken out her handkerchief. **

**"Ron, you've got something on your nose." **

**The youngest boy tried to jerk out of the way, but she grabbed him and began rubbing the end of his nose. **

**"****_Mom_****— geroff" He wriggled free. **

**"Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?" said one of the twins. **

**"Shut up," said Ron. **

**"Where's Percy?" said their mother. **

**"He's coming now." **

**The oldest boy came striding into sight. He had already changed into his billowing black Hogwarts robes, and Harry noticed a red and gold badge on his chest with the letter ****_P _****on it. **

**"Can't stay long, Mother," he said. "I'm up front, the prefects have got two compartments to themselves —" **

**"Oh, are you a ****_prefect_****, Percy?" said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea." **

**"Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it," said the other twin. **

**"Once —" **

**"Or twice —" **

**"A minute —" **

**"All summer —" **

**"Oh, shut up," said Percy the Prefect. **

Percy had never understood how the twins were always so well liked. They got horrible grades, broke all the rules, and pulled pranks on everyone. He had always tried to set a good example being the older brother, and had always wanted them to look up to him, but they never had. And then Ron had not shown any interest either though now that Percy thought about it he had really been more focused on his own goals then actually interacting with his brothers toward the end. At that time after time of being invited by his brothers to play Quidditch or try out a new toy came into mind, even Ginny had come to ask him to color with her when they were younger or else read her the Tales of Beedle the Bard. Percy had a lot to think about.

**"How come Percy gets new robes, anyway?" said one of the twins. **

**"Because he's a ****_prefect_****," said their mother fondly. "All right, dear, well, have a good term — send me an owl when you get there." **

**She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left. Then she turned to the twins. **

**"Now, you two — this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've — you've blown up a toilet or —" **

McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey shared a look remembering the end of first year. They had always wondered where the twins had come up with such an idea. Funnily enough when told Molly had played dumb at where they could have got that from. McGonagall smiled thinking about the conversation she was going to have next time she came across Mrs. Weasley.

**"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet." **

**"Great idea though, thanks, Mom." **

**"It's ****_not funny_****. And look after Ron." **

**"Don't worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us." **

"Ickle Ronniekins," snorted Malfoy to Crabbe and Goyle, who chortled along stupidly. Malfoy had to figure out a way to fit that into the Weasley is Our King song.

**"Shut up," said Ron again. He was almost as tall as the twins already and his nose was **

**still pink where his mother had rubbed it. **

**"Hey, Mom, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train?" **

**Harry leaned back quickly so they couldn't see him looking. **

**"You know that black-haired boy who was near us in the station? Know who he is?" **

**"Who?" **

**"****_Harry Potter_****!" **

**Harry heard the little girl's voice. **

**"Oh, Mom, can I go on the train and see him, Mom, eh please…" **

Ginny blushed with embarrassment at her younger self, and then paled dramatically as she realized the next book would entail what happened her first year. Harry caught her eye obviously noticing the connection she had just made and offered her a comforting smile. Ginny despite herself smiled brilliantly back at him and turned to the book fighting the blush Harry's smile was trying to put on her face.

**"You've already seen him, Ginny, and the poor boy isn't something you goggle at in a zoo. **

"Though he does relate himself to snakes in the zoo," said Ron to his sister though it was loud enough the surrounding Gryffindors chortled. Harry punched his arm.

**Is he really, Fred? How do you know?" **

**"Asked him. Saw his scar. It's really there — like lightning." **

**"Poor ****_dear _****— no wonder he was alone, I wondered. He was ever so polite when he asked how to get onto the platform." **

Many teachers nodded thinking how impressive it is he turned out so polite considering his upbringing.

**"Never mind that, do you think he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?" **

**Their mother suddenly became very stern. **

**"I forbid you to ask him, Fred. No, don't you dare. As though he needs reminding of that on his first day at school." **

**"All right, keep your hair on." **

**A whistle sounded. **

**"Hurry up!" their mother said, and the three boys clambered onto the train. They leaned out of the window for her to kiss them good-bye, and their younger sister began to cry. **

**"Don't, Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls." **

Ginny smiled at the memory of the letters from Hogwarts. Ron somewhat pouted wishing Ginny had been maybe born a little bit later. He loved and would always protect his sister but at times it felt as though she outshined him when it came to their family. Fred and George never sent him letters, and although Ginny was the youngest she always got newer stuff because she was the only girl.

**"We'll send you a Hogwarts' toilet seat." **

**"****_George!_****" **

**"Only joking, Mom." **

**The train began to move. Harry saw the boys' mother waving and their sister, half laughing, half crying, running to keep up with the train until it gathered too much speed, then she fell back and waved. **

**Harry watched the girl and her mother disappear as the train rounded the corner. Houses flashed past the window. Harry felt a great leap of excitement. He didn't know what he was going to — but it had to be better than what he was leaving behind. **

"Even this year?" asked Neville sounding a little depressed.

"If only for the DA, yes," said Harry. He had said it a little louder than intended causing those who didn't know about the DA to wonder and the DA to grin. All except for Cho who was wondering why he didn't mention her. Did she not make it worth it?

**The door of the compartment slid open and the youngest redheaded boy came in. **

**"Anyone sitting there?" he asked, pointing at the seat opposite Harry. "Everywhere else is full." **

**Harry shook his head and the boy sat down. He glanced at Harry and then looked quickly out of the window, pretending he hadn't looked. Harry saw he still had a black mark on his nose. **

"Where did that come from by the way?" asked Harry.

"Oh, I think it was from me talking to dad that morning through the Floo Network since he had an incident at work and couldn't make it to send me off on the train," explained Ron.

**"Hey, Ron." **

**The twins were back. **

**"Listen, we're going down the middle of the train — Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there." **

**"Right," mumbled Ron. **

**"Harry," said the other twin, "did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then." **

**"Bye," said Harry and Ron. The twins slid the compartment door shut behind them. **

**"Are you really Harry Potter?" Ron blurted out. **

**Harry nodded. **

**"Oh — well, I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes," said Ron. "And have you really got — you know…" **

**He pointed at Harry's forehead. **

**Harry pulled back his bangs to show the lightning scar. Ron stared. **

**"So that's where You-Know-Who —?" **

**"Yes," said Harry, "but I can't remember it." **

**"Nothing?" said Ron eagerly. **

**"Well — I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else." **

**"Wow," said Ron. He sat and stared at Harry for a few moments, **

"Ronald," said Hermione in a very Mrs. Weaslyish sort of tone that almost had the twins jumping. . Ron gave her a look that said 'what I was 11'.

**then, as though he had suddenly realized what he was doing, he looked quickly out of the window again. **

**"Are all your family wizards?" asked Harry, who found Ron just as interesting as Ron found him. **

"Really?" said Ron in astonishment. Harry smiled and nodded his head he still found Ron and his family just as interesting. They were fun and as close to a family of his own as he had ever got.

**"Er — Yes, I think so," said Ron. "I think Mom's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him." **

"Why not?" asked Hermione crossly.

"Because he denounced us saying that magic is a mutation and that being a muggle was better. That is why there are more muggles than not," explained Ginny to Hermione as the boys scowled.

Hermione looked mollified and shocked that people would do that though after the Dursleys.

(totally made that up if anybody knows the real story give me a heads up I just went with this because I don't see the Weasleys ousting someone just because they are a squib)

**"So you must know loads of magic already." **

**The Weasleys were clearly one of those old wizarding families the pale boy in Diagon Alley had talked about. **

**"I heard you went to live with Muggles," said Ron. "What are they like?" **

**"Horrible — well, not all of them. My aunt and uncle and cousin are, though. Wish I'd had three wizard brothers." **

**"Five," said Ron. For some reason, he was looking gloomy. "I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left — Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first. **

George snorted.

"Are you kidding me," said Fred incredulously, "Did you see mom when she found out you had become a prefect?"

"_Ooo, that's everyone in the family_," mimicked George. Now it could have been Harry's imagination but he suddenly thought Fred and George sounded a little dejected.

"No kidding, and I thought I was the favorite for being the only girl and she completely forgot I haven't become a prefect," put in Ginny with a grin. Harry saw her give a quick glance at the twins and had a feeling she had sensed the tension in the twins as well which is why she made the comment. Ron smiled at them, and the twins seemed to just sigh in exasperation at their brother.

**You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat." **

**Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat gray rat, which was asleep. **

**"His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a prefect, but they couldn't aff — I mean, I got Scabbers instead." **

**Ron's ears went pink. He seemed to think he'd said too much, because he went back to staring out of the window. **

**Harry didn't think there was anything wrong with not being able to afford an owl. After all, he'd never had any money in his life until a month ago, and he told Ron so, all about having to wear Dudley's old clothes and never getting proper birthday presents. This seemed to cheer Ron up. **

"Ronald," Hermione chided again.

**"… and until Hagrid told me, I didn't know anything about being a wizard or about my parents or Voldemort —" **

**Ron gasped. **

**"What?" said Harry. **

**"****_You said You-Know-Who's name!_****" said Ron, sounding both shocked and impressed. **

**"I'd have thought you, of all people —" **

**"I'm not trying to be ****_brave _****or anything, saying the name," said Harry, "I just never knew you shouldn't. See what I mean? I've got loads to learn… I bet," he added, voicing for the first time something that had been worrying him a lot lately, "I bet I'm the worst in the class." **

People snorted.

**"You won't be. There's loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough." **

**While they had been talking, the train had carried them out of London. Now they were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep. They were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick past. **

**Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?" **

**Harry, who hadn't had any breakfast, leapt to his feet, but Ron's ears went pink again and he muttered that he'd brought sandwiches. Harry went out into the corridor. **

**He had never had any money for candy with the Dursleys, and now that he had pockets rattling with gold and silver he was ready to buy as many Mars Bars as he could carry **

"What's a Mars Bar?" asked a few pure-bloods causing their muggle related friends to start explaining, and the Slytherin table to lean in to eavesdrop not wanting to admit that they too wanted to know what it was.

**— but the woman didn't have Mars Bars. What she did have were Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs. Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and a number of other strange things Harry had never seen in his life. Not wanting to miss anything, he got some of everything and paid the woman eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts. **

"Whoa that a lot to spend on the food trolley," said Justin Finch-Fletchley in appreciation.

**Ron stared as Harry brought it all back in to the compartment and tipped it onto an empty seat. **

**"Hungry, are you?" **

**"Starving," said Harry, taking a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty. **

**Ron had taken out a lumpy package and unwrapped it. There were four sandwiches inside. He pulled one of them apart and said, "She always forgets I don't like corned beef.." **

**"Swap you for one of these," said Harry, holding up a pasty. "Go on —" **

**"You don't want this, it's all dry," said Ron. "She hasn't got much time," he added quickly, "you know, with five of us." **

All the Weasleys present were beginning to worry about their youngest brother's self-esteem. The twin and Ginny were beginning to think maybe his lack of confidence in Quidditch had more to do with his low self-esteem in the family than anything else.

**"Go on, have a pasty," said Harry, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with. It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron, eating their way through all Harry's pasties, cakes, and candies (the sandwiches lay forgotten). **

**"What are these?" Harry asked Ron, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs. "They're not ****_really _****frogs, are they?" He was starting to feel that nothing would surprise him. **

"Honestly not much does anymore," said Harry off-handedly. Hermione and Ron nodded their agreement, and the rumor mill buzzed at what all they must have seen.

**"No," said Ron. "But see what the card is. I'm missing Agrippa." **

**"What?" **

**"Oh, of course, you wouldn't know — Chocolate Frogs have cards, inside them, you know, to collect — famous witches and wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy." **

"Seriously that's all you are missing?" asked an amazed Hufflepuff 2nd year that Harry was pretty sure was called Kevin Whitby.

"Actually I have all of the original release now, but they just came out with those new extension cards that I am trying to find," said Ron proudly. A few people looked impressed at this news while other simply rolled their eyes.

**Harry unwrapped his Chocolate Frog and picked up the card. It showed a man's face. He wore half-moon glasses, had a long, crooked nose, and flowing silver hair, beard, and mustache. Underneath the picture was the name Albus Dumbledore. **

**"So ****_this _****is Dumbledore!" said Harry. **

**"Don't tell me you'd never heard of Dumbledore!" said Ron. "Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa — thanks —" **

**Harry turned over his card and read: **

**_ALBUS DUMBLEDORE _**

**_CURRENTLY HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS _**

**_Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling. _**

"If only I had eaten more Chocolate Frogs that year. We would have saved so much time," said Harry. Ron and Hermione had to agree, and again left everyone bewildered as to what they were referring to.

**Harry turned the card back over and saw, to his astonishment, that Dumbledore's face had disappeared. **

**"He's gone!" **

**"Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day," said Ron. "He'll be back. No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her… do you want it? You can start collecting." **

**Ron's eyes strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs waiting to be unwrapped. **

**"Help yourself," said Harry. "But in, you know, the Muggle world, people just stay put in photos." **

**"Do they? What, they don't move at all?" Ron sounded amazed. ****_"Weird!" _**

**Harry stared as Dumbledore sidled back into the picture on his card and gave him a small smile. Ron was more interested in eating the frogs than looking at the Famous Witches and Wizards cards, but Harry couldn't keep his eyes off them. Soon he had not only Dumbledore and Morgana, but Hengist of Woodcroft, Alberic Grunnion, Circe, Paracelsus, and Merlin. He finally tore his eyes away from the Druidess Cliodna, who was scratching her nose, to open a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. **

**"You want to be careful with those," Ron warned Harry. "When they say every flavor, they ****_mean _****every flavor — you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a booger-flavored one once." **

**Ron picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully, and bit into a corner. **

**"Bleaaargh — see? Sprouts." **

**They had a good time eating the Every Flavor Beans. Harry got toast, coconut, baked bean, strawberry, curry, grass, coffee, sardine, and was even brave enough to nibble the end off a funny gray one Ron wouldn't touch, which turned out to be pepper. **

**The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills. **

**There was a knock on the door of their compartment and the round-faced boy Harry had passed on platform nine and three-quarters came in. He looked tearful. **

**"Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?" **

**When they shook their heads, he wailed, "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!" **

**"He'll turn up," said Harry. **

Neville grinned at the memory of first talking to Harry. He had thought even then that he was a nice guy.

**"Yes," said the boy miserably. "Well, if you see him…" **

**He left. **

**"Don't know why he's so bothered," said Ron. "If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk." **

"Sorry about that Neville," said Ron suddenly. Neville shrugged it off. Hermione gave him an odd look. "What? I happen to like Trevor now he keeps all the bugs out of the dorm room when it gets warmer and we want to open the window." The rest of the Gryffindor fifth year boys nodded in agreement. A couple people around the room now looked as if they were considering getting a frog.

**The rat was still snoozing on Ron's lap. **

**"He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference," said Ron in disgust. "I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look…" **

**He rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a very battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was glinting at the end. **

Fred and George shot each other a look. They had no real reason to feel guilty. It was just that they knew they always got stuff because their parents always wanted to be fair so if they didn't have equal second-hand stuff for both of them they would get them cheap but new stuff. They had both got their own wand so Ron had ended up with Charlie's,

**"Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway —" **

**He had just raised his wand when the compartment door slid open again. The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes. **

**"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth. **

"Thanks, Harry," said Hermione with a sigh.

"Sorry, but hey that was back when you were 11 you've grown up a lot since then," said Harry. Hermione smiled at him and Ron had to suppress a glower at Harry. Harry was his best mate and he always said that Hermione was like a sister to him.

**"We've already told him we haven't seen it," said Ron, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand. **

**"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then." **

**She sat down. Ron looked taken aback. **

**"Er — all right." **

**He cleared his throat. **

**"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow." **

Fred and George laughed. Even Ron though slightly embarrassed joined in.

**He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep. **

**"Are you sure that's a real spell?" said the girl. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard — I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough — I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?" **

**She said all this very fast. **

**Harry looked at Ron, and was relieved to see by his stunned face that he hadn't learned all the course books by heart either. **

"Only Hermione," said the surrounding Gryffindors and a few scattered DA members. Hermione flushed.

**"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered. **

**"Harry Potter," said Harry. **

**"Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course — I got a few extra books, for background reading, and you're in ****_Modern Magical History _****and ****_The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts _****and ****_Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_****." **

"What did that last you a week?" asked Ron. Hermione pushed him slightly, but was smiling. Harry watched the two and rolled his eyes.

**"Am I?" said Harry, feeling dazed. **

**"Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," said Hermione. "Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad**

"Wouldn't be too bad?!" exclaimed the Ravenclaws in outrage. Hermione ducked her head in embarrassment.

**… Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon." **

**And she left, taking the toadless boy with her. **

**"Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it," said Ron. **

People looked shocked that the trio didn't immediately like each other. Well, besides those people who were close to them the first two months of first year.

**He threw his wand back into his trunk. "Stupid spell — George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud." **

**"What house are your brothers in?" asked Harry. **

**"Gryffindor," said Ron. Gloom seemed to be settling on him again. "Mom and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. **

"I am sure they wouldn't care Ronald," said Hermione as the Weasley's nodded their ascent.

**I don't suppose Ravenclaw ****_would _****be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin." **

"Who in their right mind would put a Weasley in Slytherin?" snarled Malfoy, but far from insulting the Weasleys all those and their friends present at the Gryffindor table gave a "Here, here."

**"That's the house Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who was in?" **

**"Yeah," said Ron. He flopped back into his seat, looking depressed. **

**"You know, I think the ends of Scabbers' whiskers are a bit lighter," said Harry, trying to take Ron's mind off houses. "So what do your oldest brothers do now that they've left, anyway?" **

**Harry was wondering what a wizard did once he'd finished school. **

**"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons, and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts," said Ron. "Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the ****_Daily Prophet_****, but I don't suppose you get that with the Muggles — someone tried to rob a high security vault." **

**Harry stared. **

**"Really? What happened to them?" **

**"Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught. My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get round Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd. 'Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it." **

**Harry turned this news over in his mind. He was starting to get a prickle of fear every time You-Know-Who was mentioned. He supposed this was all part of entering the magical world, but it had been a lot more comfortable saying "Voldemort" without worrying. **

"Really?" asked a few in amazement at Harry. Harry ignored them, he didn't think he would ever understand the whole idea of saying You-Know-Who.

**"What's your Quidditch team?" Ron asked. **

**"Er — I don't know any." Harry confessed. **

**"What!" Ron looked dumbfounded. "Oh, you wait, it's the best game in the world —" **

**And he was off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he'd been to with his brothers and the broomstick he'd like to get if he had the money. He was just taking Harry through the finer points of the game when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Neville the toadless boy, or Hermione Granger this time. **

**Three boys entered, and Harry recognized the middle one at once: it was the pale boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop. He was looking at Harry with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Diagon Alley. **

"Of course, he knows you are someone of status now," seethed Hermione.

**"Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?" **

**"Yes," said Harry. He was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing on either side of the pale boy, they looked like bodyguards. **

**"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Harry was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." **

**Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Draco Malfoy looked at him. **

**"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford." **

"Oi," said all the present Weasleys (including Percy who then ducked his head so nobody would notice), Lee Jordan, and Harry. Hermione was glaring at Malfoy.

**He turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." **

**He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it. **

**"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," he said coolly. **

McGonagall was trying to hide the wide grin that was making its way on her face as she swelled up with pride.

**Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks. **

**"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. **

"Mr. Malfoy, that is highly inappropriate," scolded McGonagall. Malfoy went slightly pink at these words and muttered an apology no one could really hear.

**They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you." **

**Both Harry and Ron stood up. **

**"Say that again," Ron said, his face as red as his hair. **

"You haven't even got to school yet," said McGonagall with a groan.

**"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered. **

**"Unless you get out now," said Harry, more bravely than he felt, because Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than him or Ron. **

**"But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some." **

**Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron — Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell. **

**Scabbers the rat was hanging off his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle — **

Lupin looked at the book sharply at the mention of this thinking to himself. 'Why would Wormtail do that?'

**Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling, and when Scabbers finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once. Perhaps they thought there were more rats lurking among the sweets, or perhaps they'd heard footsteps, because a second later, Hermione Granger had come in. **

**"What ****_has _****been going on?" she said, looking at the sweets all over the floor and Ron picking up Scabbers by his tail. **

**"I think he's been knocked out," Ron said to Harry. He looked closer at Scabbers. "No — I don't believe it — he's gone back to sleep." **

**And so he had. **

**"You've met Malfoy before?" **

**Harry explained about their meeting in Diagon Alley. **

**"I've heard of his family," said Ron darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side." **

Malfoy glared at Ron.

**He turned to Hermione. "Can we help you with something?" **

**"You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!" **

**"Scabbers has been fighting, not us," said Ron, scowling at her. "Would you mind leaving while we change?" **

**"All right — I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors," said Hermione in a sniffy voice. "And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?" **

"Wow, I was annoying wasn't I?" said Hermione with a sigh. Ron and Harry grinned at her.

"Yeah you were but, well we sort of like you now," said Harry. Ron grinned catching on.

"I guess if you really want to, you could be our friend," said Ron.

"I better be your friend else how would you ever get through all your homework," asked Hermione teasingly. Ron and Harry looked at each other.

"Fair point," they said together making the surrounding Gryffindors and Tonks chortle.

**Ron glared at her as she left. Harry peered out of the window. It was getting dark. He could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. The train did seem to be slowing down. **

**He and Ron took off their jackets and pulled on their long black robes. Ron's were a bit short for him, you could see his sneakers underneath them. **

**A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately." **

**Harry's stomach lurched with nerves and Ron, he saw, looked pale under his freckles. **

**They crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and joined the crowd thronging the corridor. **

**The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Harry shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Harry heard a familiar voice: **

**"Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?" **

**Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads. **

**"C'mon, follow me — any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!" **

**Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Harry thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice. **

**"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here." **

**There was a loud "Oooooh!" **

Many people even Percy and Fudge were smiling at the memory of their first sight of Hogwarts.

Umbridge however was glaring, remembering how beautiful her mother had described the castle and then to be met with the sight of this creepy old stone goliath. She had imagined a white edifice with beautiful marble spirals and unicorns grazing along the banks of a crystal clear lake. What she got was grey stone towers, creepy dungeons, decrepit armor, and a giant squid.

(taking some liberties here but I expect she grew up with the expectation of everything being princesses and butterflies, and that everyone should do as she said. That's why when she became an adult and it didn't happen she turned sour and determined to rid the world of those things that didn't fit into her perfect little idea)

**The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers. **

**"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry and Ron were followed into their boat by Neville and Hermione. **

**"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then — FORWARD!" **

**And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood. **

**"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles. **

**"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them. **

**"Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands. **

"Makes you wonder where he was,"

**Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. **

**They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door. **

**"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?" **

**Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door. **

"And that's the end," squeaked out little Professor Flitwick. A few people groaned, others yawned, and still others shared meaningful glances with their neighbors promising they were going to talk about this. Harry, Ron, and Hermione just looked a little relieve that at least today was over.

Dumbledore stood up with a smile on his face after a second as though he had barely been listening to that chapter and had been deep in thought.

"Well, today has been a most interesting day, but I am afraid we must hold off on the rest of this adventure until tomorrow. So if you will go back to your dorms and get a goodnight's rest so we can begin bright and early tomorrow, and if our guest will come see me I would be more than happy to provide you with a place to rest your head for the night."

People began to scramble out the door in different states of excitement. Lupin turned to the trio.

"Well, I suppose there has been enough talking for one day. Try not to stay up too late discussing everything," he told them smiling at them fondly.

"Goodnight you guys," said Tonks leaning around Lupin and addressing the trio and the rest of the Weasleys. There was a chorus of "Goodnights" then everybody finally began to move off as most of the Great Hall had cleared by this point. Most of the Great Hall that is besides the trio, the Weasleys, Lee Jordarn, Neville, and Luna, who was making her way over to the Gryffindor table.

"What is it Luna?" Harry asked noticing her approach and honestly having no idea what she would say. It was never easy to tell with Luna.

"You know by the end of these books people are going to know as much about you as your friends do," Luna said in her normal dreamy tone, but with a broad smile on her face. "And if your friends like you as much as they do knowing that why wouldn't everybody else?"

Before Harry could think of a reply Luna traipsed away.

"Mental that one," said Ron. Harry turned to tell him off but found him smiling fondly after Luna and knew he meant it well.

"Well, shall we be getting to bed then," said Hermione now that the Great Hall was mostly empty.

"At least up to Gryffindor tower," said Fred not looking the least bit tired.

"Yeah, not sure I will be able to sleep after all that excitement today," said George with a yawn. Everybody laughed at him as they made their way out, and up the stairs to Gryffindor tower. As they made it to the portrait hole however, Fred and George stopped them.

"Dear lady," started Fred addressing the Fat Lady, "would you be so kind as to tell us whether the common room is still filled with students?" Fred and George gave ridiculous bows to end Fred's request.

"Yes, chattering non-stop from the sounds of it," replied the Fat Lady. Fred and George nodded to themselves and then turned to Harry.

"We are assuming that you do not wish to be bombarded with questions as soon as we get in," said George. Harry sighed to himself.

"No, not really," he responded and eyed them suspiciously.

"Well then Fred, I believe now would be the perfect time," said George.

"It is for a good cause," agreed George. Hermione looked wearily at them.

"What are you two planning?" she asked with a sigh.

"We have just finished a brand new firework of our own invention," said Fred with a little bow.

"It's done?" asked Lee Jordan with a grin. The twins nodded and pulled out of their pockets what seemed to be two small bottle rockets.

"So I was thinking we would try it out in the Gryffindor common room while you three and Neville if he would like, ran for the dormitories," explained Fred. The four people in question nodded.

"Alright well then, mimbulus mimbletonia," said George going in first with Fred right behind him. The trio stood just outside the portrait hole listening then they heard a loud BANG, and ran inside.

Harry stuttered to a halt for a minute in surprise. He'd seen wizard fireworks before, but to see the spinning pinwheels taller than him taking up the entirety of the Gryffindor common room and knowing they came out of bottle rockets was still an impressive image. Ron prodded him in the back getting him to move again. They still heard the whirring of the fireworks as they were pulling on their pajamas.

Harry glanced over at Neville and saw him already in bed with his curtains drawn. He hurried over and shuffled through his trunk and finally found the little package Sirius had given him for Christmas. Ron shot him a look, but Harry was already unwrapping it. Out popped a mirror and turning it over in his hand to inspect it Harry found a note from Sirius.

Ron was now next to Harry reading over his shoulder.

_This is a two-way mirror. I've got the other. If you need to speak to me, just say my name into it; you'll appear in my mirror and I'll be able to talk in yours. James and I used to use them when we were in separate detentions._

"Wicked," said Ron. Harry had to agree, if he had known earlier he would have been talking to Sirius this whole time, and how he had needed someone to just talk to. Harry was about to say Sirius's name forgetting that Neville was in the room when Seamus and Dean came in talking loudly about Fred and George's firework and how they stack up against Fillibusters.

Harry quickly stashed the mirror, and Ron sauntered over to his bed trying to pretend nothing happened. Seamus and Dean caught sight of Harry.

"Ah, Harry, it is unfortunate that Umbridge is making us read those books," said Seamus though he did not sound that regretful.

"Yeah, and your relatives are horrible. I mean I am surprised you don't hate muggles after having grown up with them," said Dean in honest amazement. Harry shrugged.

"It's not like I didn't meet other nice people from time to time," said Harry getting into bed. Seamus and Dean thankfully didn't have any more to say and started getting ready for bed. Harry closed the hangings around his own bed and thought to himself that he would just have to get up early tomorrow and talk to Sirius.


	8. Chapter 7

**Alright Chapter 7, and don't worry if you don't get your Sirius Black fix in this one. He's one of my favorite characters so he will be popping up a lot from now on since I have figured out a way to include him. And well more people may pop up him being at the order and all. You never know who will drop in and what will happen after Sirius Black is proved innocent.**

* * *

The one good thing about his constant dreaming of the dark corridor that Harry could say is that he never had to worry about oversleeping anymore. Indeed this morning his head came off his pillow at just around daybreak. He rubbed his eyes blearily then grabbing his glasses quietly got ready for the morning before making his way down stairs with the two way mirror in pocket and through the common room. He decided it would be safest for now to find some place isolated in order to talk to Sirius.

Harry found himself wander almost automatically to the Room of Requirements. Sure he knew that Umbridge now knew about it, but from what he could tell it was impenetrable as long as the current occupant wanted it to be. So walking past the appropriate piece of wall three time Harry thought hard.

'I need someplace to talk to Sirius. Just a quiet room where I can keep up with the time until breakfast so I don't miss the reading.'

As reliable as always a door appeared to Harry upon finishing his third pass. He sighed just now beginning to wonder if Sirius would even be up and slipped in the room. The room was deadly quiet which seemed odd as it was entirely full of clocks of all sizes and set to (Harry double checked his watch) the correct time. He had a feeling that most of them had some form of alarm in them too.

Sitting down on a puffy armchair in the room Harry took out the two way mirror. He considered it for a second before speaking.

"Sirius Black." For a moment nothing happened and Harry was just about to say his name again when his godfather's face swam into view.

"Harry?" inquired a yawning Sirius. And embarrassingly enough Harry had to admit despite his trepidation about talking to Sirius and guilt over waking him he was very glad to see his godfather.

"Sirius, hey, yeah it's me," said Harry lamely waiting as Sirius rubbed his eyes.

"Yeah, been waiting, Dumbledore sent word about what was happening, and Lupin told me you would probably want to talk, also scolded me about not explaining my gift properly." Sirius mumbled the last bit a little disgruntledly causing Harry to grin. "So I would ask how you are doing, but I doubt anybody enjoys their classmates learning so much about their lives and especially those of us who have more interesting lives than most."

Sirius grinned at Harry. Who found himself nodding with a sigh in agreement.

"Honestly, if we would just skip the Dursleys it might be a little bit easier to bare," said Harry getting straight to the point.

"I had some warning I wouldn't like those muggles, but and I know you probably don't want to, however, I would like to hear about them from you," said Sirius. Harry gave him a stern look.

"Right, but no going off to turn them into cockroaches, or whatever after I am done. And try and not interrupt me in outrage too much. I have been getting enough of that from Hermione, thanks," said Harry. Sirius nodded his head.

"I swear on my duty as a godfather to be as understanding and restrained as I possibly can," said Sirius as seriously as Harry had ever heard him. (I giggled when I wrote that line. Couldn't help it)

Harry nodded and began to talk to Sirius and the more he talked the easier he found it. Soon he was passing back and forth in a sort of rant, but not one that was getting him riled up. It seemed he was ciphering off all his built up frustration about the Dursleys over the years into Sirius. It wasn't like when he was in the room with Madam Bones, the teachers, and the others, this one was more personal. He didn't just tell Sirius the facts, but also how it made him feel, why he was so frustrated, and just how badly he wanted to get away. Surprisingly Sirius was very good at listening though he had gone off a few times like when Ripper had chased him up a tree ("I'd like to meet the little mutt Snuffles and see if he goes chasing after anything ever again"), and the Dursleys' punishment of him for getting on the school roof (this reaction mostly consisted of a screen of colorful profanities Harry took note of until Sirius cut off suddenly as though he had forgotten it was Harry who was listening). However, he had also roared with laughter when Harry explained blowing up his aunt. ("I can't believe you got all that weight to float up into the air.") In between though Sirius had been downright comforting and understanding, he even shared a few experiences about his own neglected childhood with Harry. Harry had become so wrapped up in the conversation he jumped out of his skin when the surrounding clocks went off in a chorus of alarms. Sirius seemed to have spilled his morning tea on the other side of the mirror too that he had gone to get during the discussion.

"Listen Harry real quick before you go off keep the mirror in your pocket during the reading today if you don't mind. I would like to listen in. Obviously I can't say anything yet, during the reading, but if you want to talk about something afterwards it would be a lot easier if I hear everything too," said Sirius with a smile.

"Right," said Harry.

"Well, chin up Prongslett, and get down to breakfast." Harry beamed at his godfather, pocketed the mirror, and ran downstairs. He was one of the last to enter, but thankfully Ron and Hermione had saved him a spot between them. Remus had settled himself in the place opposite Harry's spot and was in deep conversation with the twins, while Tonks on his other side was talking to Ginny.

Everybody looked up as he sat down.

"So how is Snuffles?" asked Lupin with a small smile.

"Great, good talking to him, it's like he's here with me," said Harry giving Lupin a meaningful look. Hermione and Ron grinned at him giving Harry the feeling Ron must have told Hermione about the mirror, which was fine with him he would have told her anyway.

Dumbledore stood up as Harry began to pull a couple things onto his plate.

"We will begin immediately if you so please, as I am sure everybody is quite eager to get through these books and back to the real world." There was some murmured agreement, but quite a few people seemed more enticed by the book reading than anything else.

"If I may headmaster," said Snape a hand for the book. Harry was slightly surprised that Snape was voluntarily reading about him, and more than slightly curious about how he would react to the news the Sorting Hat had considered Slytherin.

"**The Sorting Hat **," Snape began causing Harry to put down the toast in his hand and stare at the book in shock almost begging it to not mention about almost being put in Slytherin. It was bad enough they knew about the wand, what would they think put in combination with almost being a Slytherin?

**The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Harry's first thought was that this was not someone to cross. **

"Yet you insist on doing so anyway," muttered McGonagall giving Harry a fond look. This caused her to catch Harry's worried disposition which in turn caused her to worry. The boy was finally at Hogwarts what could have happen during the sorting that would cause him worry.

**"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid. **

**"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." **

**She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Dursleys' house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors. **

**They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Harry could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right — the rest of the school must already be here — but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously. **

It is rather nerve wracking

**"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room. **

**"The four houses are called Gryffindor, **

The Gryffindors cheered causing Snape to glare at them. They ignored him.

**Hufflepuff, **

A few Hufflepuffs cheered though other were quelling under the look from Snape.

**Ravenclaw, **

Even fewer Ravenclaws cheered since at this point Snape's glare had become nearly murderous.

**and Slytherin. **

There was no noise from the Slytherin table however they all seemed to swell up with pride and give a look to the other tables as if they thought they were superior.

**Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. **

'Unless you are Potter," thought Snape, but did not voice his opinion as he continued to read.

**At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. **

**"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." **

**Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose. Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair. **

Lupin smiled it was funny how Harry could look exactly like James and be so much like his mother.

**"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly." **

**She left the chamber. Harry swallowed. **

**"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" he asked Ron. **

**"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking." **

"Really? Mom never told you?" asked Ginny surprised. Ron shrugged. Ginny was really starting to get worried about her brother. She knew her parents loved them all equally, but it just seemed from time to time that Ron as the youngest son seemed to get skipped over from time to time. Maybe should she talk to the rest of the family about that, though from the regretful look on Fred's face and George's glances at their brother she had a feeling she would have allies in her new found quest.

**Harry's heart gave a horrible jolt. A test? In front of the whole school? But he didn't know any magic yet —what on earth would he have to do? He hadn't expected something like this the moment they arrived. He looked around anxiously and saw that everyone else looked terrified, too. No one was talking much except Hermione Granger, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned and wondering which one she'd need. **

"Which was extremely nerve wrecking," said Dean with a smirk at the remembrance.

**Harry tried hard not to listen to her. He'd never been more nervous, never, not even when he'd had to take a school report home to the Dursleys saying that he'd somehow turned his teacher's wig blue. He kept his eyes fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead him to his doom. **

"Seriously Potter stop being so dramatic," said Parkinson slyly getting a weak laugh from a few of her fellow Slytherins.

**Then something happened that made him jump about a foot in the air — several people behind him screamed. **

**"What the —?" **

**He gasped. So did the people around him. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. **

"They seem to do that every few years or so," muttered Professor Flitwick with a smile at the antics of the ghosts.

**They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance —" **

**"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost — I say, what are you all doing here?" **

**A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years. **

**Nobody answered. **

**"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?" **

**A few people nodded mutely. **

**"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know." **

**"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." **

**Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall. **

**"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me." **

**Feeling oddly as though his legs had turned to lead, Harry got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Ron behind him, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. **

**Harry had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Harry looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He heard Hermione whisper, "Its bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in ****_Hogwarts, A History_****." **

"One," said Ron suddenly. Everybody turned to give him a peculiar look.

"What?" asked Hermione.

"I'm counting how many times you make a reference to Hogwarts a history," explained Ron.

"That could be a lot," remarked Harry with a smile toward Hermione who was smiling sheepishly.

**It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens. **

**Harry quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have let it in the house. **

"A hat will be the least of her worries," said Fred sharing an evil grin with George.

**_Maybe they had to try and get a rabbit out of it_****, **

"Why on earth would we pull a rabbit out of a hat?" asked Ernie MacMillan flabbergasted.

"It's a common trick muggle "magic" performers do," explained Justin Finch-Fletchly. Hannah Abbot nodded at his side.

"Still seems silly," muttered Ernie.

**Harry thought wildly, that seemed the sort of thing — noticing that everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, he stared at it, too. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth — and the hat began to sing: **

**_"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_**

**_But don't judge on what you see, _**

**_I'll eat myself if you can find _**

**_A smarter hat than me. _**

**_You can keep your bowlers black, _**

**_Your top hats sleek and tall, _**

**_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat _**

**_And I can cap them all. _**

**_There's nothing hidden in your head _**

**_The Sorting Hat can't see, _**

**_So try me on and I will tell you _**

**_Where you ought to be. _**

**_You might belong in Gryffindor, _**

**_Where dwell the brave at heart, _**

**_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry _**

**_Set Gryffindors apart; _**

**_You might belong in Hufflepuff, _**

**_Where they are just and loyal, _**

**_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true _**

**_And unafraid of toil; _**

**_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, _**

**_if you've a ready mind, _**

**_Where those of wit and learning, _**

**_Will always find their kind; _**

**_Or perhaps in Slytherin _**

**_You'll make your real friends, _**

**_Those cunning folk use any means _**

**_To achieve their ends. _**

**_So put me on! Don't be afraid! _**

**_And don't get in a flap! _**

**_You're in safe hands (though I have none) _**

**_For I'm a Thinking Cap!" _**

**The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again. **

**"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Harry. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll." **

"Well we did that anyways," said Hermione with a smile. Lupin looked shocked at the statement as Harry and Ron laughed. Lupin exchanged an uneasy look with Tonks wondering about how much excitement these three actually got up to at school. I mean considering the year he was here alone he probably should have some idea.

**Harry smiled weakly. Yes, trying on the hat was a lot better than having to do a spell, but he did wish they could have tried it on without everyone watching. The hat seemed to be asking rather a lot; Harry didn't feel brave or quick-witted or any of it at the moment. If only the hat had mentioned a house for people who felt a bit queasy, that would have been the one for him. **

"I am fairly certain almost everybody would be sorted into that house if such a one existed and the hat judged on your current feelings alone," commented Professor Dumbledore with a chuckle as he buttered some toast for himself.

**Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment. **

**"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. **

**"Abbott, Hannah!" **

**A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moments pause — **

**"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat. **

The Hufflepuff table cheered and Hannah blushed at the attention.

**The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her. **

**"Bones, Susan!" **

**"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah. **

Again, cheering from the Hufflepuffs.

**"Boot, Terry!" **

**"RAVENCLAW!" **

Following the Hufflepuffs example the Ravenclaws now cheered for Terry.

**The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them. **

**"Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, **

More cheering from Ravenclaw.

**but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, **

The Gryffindors roared with cheers as well causing Lavender to beam at them.

**and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Harry could see Ron's twin brothers catcalling. **

**"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin. Perhaps it was Harry's imagination, after all he'd heard about Slytherin, but he thought they looked like an unpleasant lot. **

The Slytherins cheered though in a much more dignified manner than the rest supporting their members.

**He was starting to feel definitely sick now. He remembered being picked for teams during gym at his old school. He had always been last to be chosen, not because he was no good, but because no one wanted Dudley to think they liked him. **

**"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!" **

**"HUFFLEPUFF!" **

The Hufflepuff table exploded again.

**Sometimes, Harry noticed, the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others it took a little while to decide. "Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy-haired boy next to Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor. **

"You know it was actually considering putting me in Hufflepuff because it said I was just and loyal-" said Seamus trailing off as he gave a guilty look over at where Harry sat.

**"Granger, Hermione!" **

**Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head. **

**"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. **

The Gryffindor table cheered with Harry and Ron making the most noise. Even the twins were loudly putting in about how she is the key to the Gryffindor house cup with her intelligence.

**Ron groaned. **

**A horrible thought struck Harry, as horrible thoughts always do when you're very nervous. **

"Though you seem exceedingly good at coming up with the most horrible thoughts," said Ginny with a sigh, and a pointed look at Harry. He just shrugged he was getting tense with all the waiting for how the news that he was almost put in Slytherin to go over.

**What if he wasn't chosen at all? What if he just sat there with the hat over his eyes for ages, until Professor McGonagall jerked it off his head and said there had obviously been a mistake and he'd better get back on the train? **

**When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. **

"Why'd the hat take so long with you Neville?" asked Seamus. Neville blushed and look down then mubbled just loud enough for the trio, the twins, his roommates, Lupin, and Tonks to hear.

"He was trying to decide which house would help me most, and said that though I didn't know it I held the good qualities of all the houses," Neville explained.

"Well, he was right then wasn't he," said Harry fiercely. Neville gave him a weak smile.

**When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag." **

**Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!" **

Another round of polite applause.

**Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself. **

**There weren't many people left now. "Moon"… , "Nott"… , "Parkinson"… , then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil"… , then "Perks, Sally-Anne"… , and then, at last — **

Snape was now glaring at the crows as the houses catching on had started giving quick cheers after each housemates name.

**"Potter, Harry!" **

"Finally!" exclaimed a young third year Ravenclaw.

**As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall. **

**"****_Potter_****, did she say?" **

**"****_The _****Harry Potter?" **

**The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at him. Next second he was looking at the black inside of the hat. He waited. **

**"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. **

"It always is with Harry," said Hermione with a fake put upon sigh. But Harry was not looking at her, in fact he was staring very intently at the table his breakfast plate pushed away from him. Hermione was worried what could possibly be so bad that-. Then it hit her, the only thing that could possibly explain why Harry was apprehensive. The hat had to have considered him for Slytherin.

Hermione grabbed Harry into a one armed hug. He looked up at her startled, and seeing her expression realized she had figured it out. Ron was looking at them in confusion.

**Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, A my goodness, yes — and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting… So where shall I put you?" **

The teachers were nodding along with the hat in agreement to Mr. Potter's qualities.

**Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, ****_Not Slytherin, not Slytherin_****. **

**"Not Slytherin, eh?" said the small voice. "Are you sure? **

Snape stopped he was staring at the next few sentences. He glanced quickly at Harry. Umbridge gave a little cough causing people to jump, most people had been ignoring the presence of her and her ministry cohorts. Snape continued.

**You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that**

"WHAT!?" exclaimed a few people flabbergasted that the Gryffindor golden boy had been considered for Slytherin. The Weasleys probably looked the most shocked of all but recovered quickly as Hermione shot them a nasty look.

"Well, good thing you told that hat what for, must have been bonkers thinking about putting you in Slytherin,"said Ron bracingly. Harry gave him a small smile.

"Your parents would not have cared either way," said Lupin. Harry gave him a skeptical look. "Okay so your father would have initially been disappointed but your mother would have jinxed him into submission and compared him to Sirius's parent which would have settled matters." Lupin conceded. Harry laughed.

** — no? Well, if you're sure — better be GRYFFINDOR!" **

**Harry heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. He took off the hat and walked shakily toward the Gryffindor table. He was so relieved to have been chosen and not put in Slytherin, he hardly noticed that he was getting the loudest cheer yet. Percy the Prefect got up and shook his hand vigorously, **

Percy blushed at his past actions as the Gryffindor's were doing a fairly accurate imitation of their cheering back then.

**while the Weasley twins yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" **

**Harry sat down opposite the ghost in the ruff he'd seen earlier. The ghost patted his arm, giving Harry the sudden, horrible feeling he'd just plunged it into a bucket of ice-cold water. **

**He could see the High Table properly now. At the end nearest him sat Hagrid, who caught his eye and gave him the thumbs up. Harry grinned back. And there, in the center of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore. Harry recognized him at once from the card he'd gotten out of the Chocolate Frog on the train. Dumbledore's silver hair was the only thing in the whole hall that shone as brightly as the ghosts. Harry spotted Professor Quirrell, too, the nervous young man from the Leaky Cauldron. He was looking very peculiar in a large purple turban. **

**And now there were only three people left to be sorted. "Thomas, Dean," a Black boy even taller than Ron, joined Harry at the Gryffindor table. **

Another cheer was heard but many of the Gryffindors were out of breath from the last cheer.

**"Turpin, Lisa," became a Ravenclaw **

Ravenclaw gave a cheer.

**and then it was Ron's turn. He was pale green by now. Harry crossed his fingers under the table and a second later the hat had shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" **

The Gryffindor table cheered once more with Ron's brothers reaching over the table to pat him on the shoulder.

**Harry clapped loudly with the rest as Ron collapsed into the chair next to him. **

**"Well done, Ron, excellent," said Percy Weasley pompously across Harry as "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin. **

One last dignified cheer from the Slytherins and Snape could not help the sigh of relief that escaped him from having to listen to the blasted cheering. Dumbledore chuckled catching sight of Snape's sigh. Snape repressed a glare at the old man.

**Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away. **

**Harry looked down at his empty gold plate. He had only just realized how hungry he was. The pumpkin pasties seemed ages ago. **

**Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there. **

**"Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! **

**"Thank you!" **

**He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Harry didn't know whether to laugh or not. **

"Laughter is fine," said Dumbledore his eyes twinkling.

**"Is he — a bit mad?" he asked Percy uncertainly. **

**"Mad?" said Percy airily. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! **

Percy was suddenly very interested in the ground as Umbridge shot him glaring looks. Fudge however had been quiet ever since yesterday. Madam Bones had chosen to sit next to her neice for the rest of the readings, so only Kingsley remained by Fudge's other side.

**But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?" **

**Harry's mouth fell open. The dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs. **

"That would be due to an unfortunate event during one of my predecessors term that involved dragon breath, and the great hall catching fire," explained Dumbledore as if that was all they needed to know. Harry was not sure about anyone else but he still didn't see how the humbugs played in. He did notice how a couple of teachers were grinning broadly at the comment as though it was some kind of staff story.

**The Dursleys had never exactly starved Harry, **

Hermione and Ginny growled in disbelief.

**but he'd never been allowed to eat as much as he liked. Dudley had always taken anything that Harry really wanted, even if it made him sick. Harry piled his plate with a bit of everything except the peppermints and began to eat. It was all delicious. **

**"That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Harry cut up his steak. **

**"Can't you —?" **

**"I haven't eaten for nearly five hundred years," said the ghost. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower." **

**"I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you — you're Nearly Headless Nick!" **

**"I would ****_prefer _****you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy —" the ghost began stiffly, but sandy-haired Seamus Finnigan interrupted. **

**"****_Nearly _****Headless? How can you be ****_nearly _****headless?" **

**Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted. **

"It wasn't," commented the current Nick with a sigh.

**"Like ****_this_****," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said, "So — new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable — he's the Slytherin ghost." **

**Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood. He was right next to Malfoy who, Harry was pleased to see, didn't look too pleased with the seating arrangements. **

**"How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest. **

**"I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick delicately. **

"Do you guys know?" Seamus asked the trio suspiciously.

"Not yet," said Harry with a grin. The hall chuckled.

**When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding… **

**As Harry helped himself to a treacle tart, the talk turned to their families. **

**"I'm half-and-half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mom didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him." **

**The others laughed. **

Harry noticed Professor McGonagall frown, which made him realize now that he thought about it he didn't know all that much about her. Neither did he really know Dumbledore that well on a personal level. He had been spending all term being annoyed at Dumbledore for not paying attention to him when really when he thought about it how well did he know Dumbledore.

**"What about you, Neville?" said Ron. **

**"Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville, "but the family thought I was all-Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me — he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned — **

The teachers shook their heads in disapproval.

**but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. **

A few people gasped.

**But I bounced — all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here — they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad." **

**On Harry's other side, Percy Weasley and Hermione were talking about lessons ("I ****_do _****hope they start right away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration, **

McGonagall beamed at Hermione, who was smiling back.

**you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult —"; "You'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing — "). **

**Harry, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, looked up at the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet. Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. Professor Quirrell, in his absurd turban, was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin. **

Snape glared at Harry who was trying not to smirk.

**It happened very suddenly. The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell's turban straight into Harry's eyes — and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry's forehead. **

Snape narrowed his eyes knowing what was happening.

**"Ouch!" Harry clapped a hand to his head. **

**"What is it?" asked Percy. **

**"N-nothing." **

**The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off was the feeling Harry had gotten from the teacher's look — a feeling that he didn't like Harry at all. **

"Understatement," commented Harry. Ron nodded viciously.

**"Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" he asked Percy. **

**"Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to — everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape." **

**Harry watched Snape for a while, but Snape didn't look at him again. **

**At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent. **

**"Ahem — just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. **

**"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." **

**Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins. **

"Yeah, I have to admit I think you three have taken that look away from us," said George leaning back and looking at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They grinned and Lupin groaned causing Tonks to rub his back in comfort.

**"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. **

**"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. **

**"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." **

**Harry laughed, but he was one of the few who did. **

**"He's not serious?" he muttered to Percy. **

**"Must be," said Percy, frowning at Dumbledore. "It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere — the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least." **

Fred and George snorted at their brother's self-righteousness, and looked expecting him to be glaring at him. He wasn't. Instead he was looking downcast at the table. As made as the twins were at their brother seeing him look like that still bothered them.

**"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Harry noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed. **

A few teachers gave a sigh as Dumbledore stood up.

**Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words. **

The current Dumbledore did the same.

**"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!" **

"If you are all prepared," said Dumbledore as the whole student body stood up to sing some looking dejectedly others looking excited.

**And the school bellowed: **

**_"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts, _**

**_Teach us something please, _**

**_Whether we be old and bald _**

**_Or young with scabby knees, _**

**_Our heads could do with filling _**

**_With some interesting stuff, _**

**_For now they're bare and full of air, _**

**_Dead flies and bits of fluff, _**

**_So teach us things worth knowing, _**

**_Bring back what we've forgot, _**

**_just do your best, we'll do the rest, _**

**_And learn until our brains all rot." _**

As before only the Weasley twins were left singing to a slow funeral march in order to do an accurate depiction of the past.

**Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest. **

**"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!" **

**The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Harry's legs were like lead again, but only because he was so tired and full of food. He was too sleepy even to be surprised that the people in the portraits along the corridors whispered and pointed as they passed, or that twice Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries. They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and Harry was just wondering how much farther they had to go when they came to a sudden halt. **

**A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him. **

**"Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist." **

Fred and George cheered at the appearance of Peeves.

**He raised his voice, "Peeves — show yourself." **

**A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered. **

**"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?" **

**There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks. **

**"Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!" **

**He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked. **

**"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy. **

**Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head. **

"It's always me," said Neville with a sigh.

**They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed. **

**"You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set off again. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are." **

**At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress. **

"Ah Ha," said a couple of students from other houses. The Gryffindors groaned as everyone now knew where their common room and dorms were.

**"Password?" she said. **

**"Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it — Neville needed a leg up — **

"Thanks for that Harry," mumbled Neville. These books were becoming just as embarrassing for Neville as it was for Harry.

**and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs. **

**Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase — they were obviously in one of the towers — they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pajamas and fell into bed. **

**"Great food, isn't it?" Ron muttered to Harry through the hangings. "Get ****_off_****, Scabbers! He's chewing my sheets." **

**Harry was going to ask Ron if he'd had any of the treacle tart, but he fell asleep almost at once. **

**Perhaps Harry had eaten a bit too much, because he had a very strange dream. **

"I don't know if I ever have normal dreams," commented Harry.

**He was wearing Professor Quirrell's turban, which kept talking to him, telling him he must transfer to Slytherin at once, because it was his destiny. Harry told the turban he didn't want to be in Slytherin; it got heavier and heavier; he tried to pull it off but it tightened painfully — and there was Malfoy, laughing at him as he struggled with it — then Malfoy turned into the hook-nosed teacher, Snape, whose laugh became high and cold — there was a burst of green light and Harry woke, sweating and shaking. **

A few people looked disturbed at the idea. In fact if Harry wasn't mistaken Snape had paled significantly at the image.

**He rolled over and fell asleep again, and when he woke next day, he didn't remember the dream at all.**

Snape quickly passed the book down to Dumbledore after finishing the chapter, and Harry could swear his hands were shaking. Little did Harry know the old guilt that had crept up in Snape at the image Harry's dream had painted. Snape's thoughts swarmed thinking maybe Potter's dream was more accurate than he wanted to believe.

"Well, I believe it is time for the next chapter. Any volunteers?" asked Dumbledore.

"I will Headmaster," piped up Tonks suddenly bouncing up in such a way she kicked the table and caused a few goblets to spill.

"Ah, I believe we are quiet done with breakfast," said Dumbledore with a kind smile, and no sooner said had the plates, and mess disappeared. Dumbledore floated the book over to Tonks who had just finished cleaning the juice that had spilled on Lupin.


	9. Chapter 8

*** Ok after a reviewer from the UK pointed out my mistake with Hump day which I appreciate and is a very valid point. I browsed the internet for a bit trying to get inspiration for something that Fred and George could have got inspiration from and well for some odd reason this just came to me. So feel free for those of you who have read this chapter to just skip down to the new part where I have changed Fred and George's first prank, because that is all I changed. ***

**Alright this one is rather short, but that just means I got it out quicker than usual. It helps when I am just waiting around at work for things to break down and for me to have to go fix them. Hope its good enough.**

* * *

"**The Potions Master **," Tonks began with a smirk toward Severus who was looking distinctly uncomfortable with a the chapter title.

** "There, look." **

** "Where?" **

** "Next to the tall kid with the red hair." **

Ron grumbled annoyed and then remembering how annoying Harry found people talking about him to be gave him a sympathetic look. Harry just sighed at the look they had both dealt with this sort of thing so much by now it was as if they were resigned to their fates.

** "Wearing the glasses?" **

** "Did you see his face?" **

** "Did you see his scar?" **

** Whispers followed Harry from the moment he left his dormitory the next day. People lining up outside classrooms stood on tiptoe to get a look at him, or doubled back to pass him in the corridors again, staring. **

A few people shifted guiltily around the room realizing how annoying they sounded. Harry already had enough trouble at home as they had heard there was no reason to give him more at school.

**Harry wished they wouldn't, because he was trying to concentrate on finding his way to classes. **

** There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts: wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump. Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place, and doors that weren't really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending. It was also very hard to remember where anything was, because it all seemed to move around a lot. The people in the portraits kept going to visit each other, and Harry was sure the coats of armor could walk. **

"Quite well as a matter a fact, very good at using their weapons too," said Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye.

** The ghosts didn't help, either. It was always a nasty shock when one of them glided suddenly through a door you were trying to open. Nearly Headless Nick was always happy to point new Gryffindors in the right direction, **

Most of the Gryffindors nodded and thanked Nick who swelled with pride and smiled back at them all.

**but Peeves the Poltergeist was worth two locked doors and a trick staircase if you met him when you were late for class. He would drop wastepaper baskets on your head, pull rugs from under your feet, pelt you with bits of chalk, or sneak up behind you, invisible, grab your nose, and screech, "GOT YOUR CONK!" **

** Even worse than Peeves, if that was possible, was the caretaker, Argus Filch. **

Said man who nobody had noticed up until now was standing up against the wall looking outraged. Harry noticed this after the distinct feeling that someone was trying to melt his head with their eyes set in. Sure enough when Harry glanced around the caretaker had a look like a basilisk. Harry ignored him; he had worse things to worry about.

**Harry and Ron managed to get on the wrong side of him on their very first morning. **

"Wow really, we didn't manage to get on Filch's bad side until Wednesday," said George indicating himself and his twin.

"Ah, yes the first prank at Hogwarts the Fanged Frisbee UFOs," said Fred reminiscing.

"That's how we met," commented Lee Jordan. The trio looked at Fred and George and noticed a few of the other students shutter at the remembrance and McGonagall put her face in her hands.

"What's a UFO?" asked a 1st year Gryffindor pure blood.

"It's an unidentified flying object that most people associate with aliens from another planet," explained Hermione. "Though how do you two know about them?" Hermione asked rather surprised.

"Dad busted a guy in the Northumberland National Park for charming a normal frisbee so everytime someone found and threw it it would enlarge itself, and flash off lights. It then chased the muggles and everytime it got over them would levitate them into the air," explained George.

"I remember that one," commented Ron with a grin.

"Did your frisbees do all that," asked Hermione.

"No, we were only first years, ours just stayed up for a long time and breathed fire," explained Fred.

"What?!" asked Hermione sounding outrage. A few shutters were again seen around the room.

"Yeah it was a trick Charlie taught us with dragon dung," explained George. Harry looked rather impressed at Fred and George they were quite ingenious when it came down to it.

"You could have burned somebody!" exclaimed Hermione outraged.

"No they couldn't have," said Ginny with a sigh. Everybody looked at her surprised. "Charlie showed me the trick too the neat thing about the fire is its made with the fumes with the dung which for some reason causes it to look like fire spewing when it makes contact with fire, but actually just feels like a warm very smelly breeze when it hits anything."

"Yes, a very smelly breeze that is impossible to get out of anything!" roared Filch sputtering in indignation. "The castle smelled of dragon dung well until Christmas." Many of the professors and a few older students nodded their agreement. Fred and George and a few others roared with laughter.

Tonks snickered sharing a smile with Lupin and then continued reading.

**Filch found them trying to force their way through a door that unluckily turned out to be the entrance to the out-of-bounds corridor on the third floor. **

"To think we almost found out during the first day," said Ron.

**He wouldn't believe they were lost, was sure they were trying to break into it on purpose, and was threatening to lock them in the dungeons when they were rescued by Professor Quirrell, who was passing. **

"Should have started guessing then," muttered Harry to himself.

** Filch owned a cat called Mrs. Norris, a scrawny, dust-colored creature with bulging, lamp like eyes just like Filch's. She patrolled the corridors alone. Break a rule in front of her, put just one toe out of line, and she'd whisk off for Filch, who'd appear, wheezing, two seconds later. Filch knew the secret passageways of the school better than anyone (except perhaps the Weasley twins) **

The said twins smirked, but then eyed Harry, Hermione, and Ron.

"I don't know you three know them quite well yourself by now," they said suspiciously as though the three were trying to take away their title.

**and could pop up as suddenly as any of the ghosts. The students all hated him, and it was the dearest ambition of many to give Mrs. Norris a good kick. **

Filch picked up Mrs. Norris and glared around at the students as though expecting one to suddenly run at the cat and kick her right here and now for good measure.

** And then, once you had managed to find them, there were the classes themselves. There was a lot more to magic, as Harry quickly found out, than waving your wand and saying a few funny words.**

Dumbledore chuckled to himself, thinking of the innocence of youth.

** They had to study the night skies through their telescopes every Wednesday at midnight and learn the names of different stars and the movements of the planets. Three times a week they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology, with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout, where they learned how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used for. Easily the most boring class was History of Magic, which was the only one taught by a ghost. Professor Binns had been very old indeed when he had fallen asleep in front of the staff room fire and got up next morning to teach, leaving his body behind him. Binns droned on and on while they scribbled down names and dates, and got Emetic the Evil and Uric the Oddball mixed up. **

"Harry I have told you," started Hermione, but Harry cut her off.

"Not now Hermione, please," he pleaded with her. She shut her mouth, pursed her lips, and nodded.

** Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. At the start of their first class he took the roll call, and when he reached Harry's name he gave an excited squeak and toppled out of sight. **

The current Flitwick blushed as a few teachers tried to hide their smiles. In truth many of them had been excited to be teaching the "Harry Potter", and even more excited when they found out that he was such an excellent wizard and human being.

** Professor McGonagall was again different. Harry had been quite right to think she wasn't a teacher to cross. Strict and clever, she gave them a talking-to the moment they sat down in her first class. **

McGonagall straightened up proudly glad she was coming across exactly as she meant to.

** "Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned." **

**Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again. They were all very impressed and couldn't wait to get started, but soon realized they weren't going to be changing the furniture into animals for a long time. **

**After taking a lot of complicated notes, they were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. By the end of the lesson, only Hermione Granger had made any difference to her match; Professor McGonagall showed the class how it had gone all silver and pointy and gave Hermione a rare smile. **

Draco muttered darkly about the "know-it-all mudblood".

** The class everyone had really been looking forward to was Defense Against the Dark Arts, but Quirrell's lessons turned out to be a bit of a joke. His classroom smelled strongly of garlic, which everyone said was to ward off a vampire he'd met in Romania and was afraid would be coming back to get him one of these days. His turban, he told them, had been given to him by an African prince as a thank-you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie, but they weren't sure they believed this story. For one thing, when Seamus Finnigan asked eagerly to hear how Quirrell had fought off the zombie, Quirrell went pink and started talking about the weather; for another, they had noticed that a funny smell hung around the turban, and the Weasley twins insisted that it was stuffed full of garlic as well, so that Quirrell was protected wherever he went. **

"Voldemort does smell sort of funny," commented Harry so quietly only those close to him could hear. He gave a little smirk. The Weasleys, Neville, Lee Jordan, and Tonks began howling with laughter. Hermione giggled nervously and Lupin smirked.

** Harry was very relieved to find out that he wasn't miles behind everyone else. Lots of people had come from Muggle families and, like him, hadn't had any idea that they were witches and wizards. There was so much to learn that even people like Ron didn't have much of a head start. **

"Much of one, I didn't have any of one," said Ron smirking at Harry.

** Friday was an important day for Harry and Ron. They finally managed to find their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast without getting lost once. **

"Bravo," said a Slytherin sixth year sarcastically. Draco's group chuckled.

** "What have we got today?" Harry asked Ron as he poured sugar on his porridge. **

** "Double Potions with the Slytherins," said Ron. "Snape's Head of Slytherin House. They say he always favors them — we'll be able to see if it's true." **

** "Wish McGonagall favored us," said Harry. Professor McGonagall was head of Gryffindor House, but it hadn't stopped her from giving them a huge pile of homework the day before. **

'Please,' thought Snape looking at McGonagall's fond smile at her lions and whose eyes kept darting to Harry and his group. 'She adores those recklessly brave, annoying, rule-breakers of hers."

** Just then, the mail arrived. Harry had gotten used to this by now, but it had given him a bit of a shock on the first morning, when about a hundred owls had suddenly streamed into the Great Hall during breakfast, circling the tables until they saw their owners, and dropping letters and packages onto their laps. **

** Hedwig hadn't brought Harry anything so far. She sometimes flew in to nibble his ear and have a bit of toast before going off to sleep in the owlery with the other school owls. **

"She's so adorable," squeaked Lavender and Pavarti.

**This morning, however, she fluttered down between the marmalade and the sugar bowl and dropped a note onto Harry's plate. Harry tore it open at once. It said, in a very untidy scrawl:**

**Dear Harry, **

** I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three? **

**I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with Hedwig. **

**Harry borrowed Ron's quill, scribbled Yes, please, see you later on the back of the note, and sent Hedwig off again. **

"That was very kind of you," Professor Sinestra said to Hagrid who was sitting next to her.

**It was lucky that Harry had tea with Hagrid to look forward to, because the Potions lesson turned out to be the worst thing that had happened to him so far. **

McGonagall glared down the table at Snape who studiously ignored her. He began thinking back to that first lesson since they started and this odd feeling of guilt had started gnawing at him. Really had he given Harry a chance to ever be anything but his father's son in his eyes.

**At the start-of-term banquet, Harry had gotten the idea that Professor Snape disliked him. By the end of the first Potions lesson, he knew he'd been wrong. Snape didn't dislike Harry — he hated Harry.**

Dumbledore sighed and frowned at this information. He wished Snape would see how much of Lily was in Harry. See what it was Snape was fighting for.

**Potions lessons took place down in one of the dungeons. It was colder here than up in the main castle, and would have been quite creepy enough without the pickled animals floating in glass jars all around the walls. **

**Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the roll call, and like Flitwick, he paused at Harry's name. **

**"Ah, Yes," he said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new — celebrity." **

**Draco Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands. Snape finished calling the names and looked up at the class. His eyes were black like Hagrid's, but they had none of Hagrid's warmth. They were cold and empty and made you think of dark tunnels. **

Snape looked disturbed by this news.

**"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word — like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death — if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." **

"Severus," scolded McGonagall with a gasp. Most of the rest of the staff was giving him disapproving looks as well including Snape was pained to see Professor Dumbledore.

** More silence followed this little speech. Harry and Ron exchanged looks with raised eyebrows. Hermione Granger was on the edge of her seat and looked desperate to start proving that she wasn't a dunderhead. **

Hermione blushed.

** "Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" **

"That is not an appropriate question for the first day for a third year much less a first year," complained Professor Sprout.

**Powdered root of what to an infusion of what? Harry glanced at Ron, who looked as stumped as he was; Hermione's hand had shot into the air. **

**"I don't know, sir," said Harry. **

**Snape's lips curled into a sneer. **

**"Tut, tut — fame clearly isn't everything." **

McGonagall, Hagrid, and Lupin were giving Snape significant glares, and Harry could have sworn he heard some noise come out of his pocket.

**He ignored Hermione's hand. **

** "Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" **

"Really, Severus," admonished Madam Pomfrey.

**Hermione stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without her leaving her seat, but Harry didn't have the faintest idea what a bezoar was. He tried not to look at Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were shaking with laughter. **

"Oh, as if you knew at all at the time," snapped Ginny in Harry's defense. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle gave the girl wary looks, though he noticed they were not laughing this time. In fact Snape who Harry was expecting to be giving a gloating look was looking downcast and not responding to any of the admonishments and glares from the rest of the staff.

** "I don't know, sir." **

**"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?" Harry forced himself to keep looking straight into those cold eyes. He had looked through his books at the Dursleys', but did Snape expect him to remember everything in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi? **

**Snape was still ignoring Hermione's quivering hand. **

**"What is the difference, Potter, **

"Did you do this the entire class Severus?" asked McGonagall in outrage. Snape didn't respond as more than McGonagall's words, Dumbledore's sad disappointing eyes seemed to be pulling Snape into a sea of guilt.

**between monkshood and wolfsbane?" **

**At this, Hermione stood up, her hand stretching toward the dungeon ceiling. **

**"I don't know," said Harry quietly. "I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?" **

"Good for you Potter," squeaked Professor Flitwick.

**A few people laughed; Harry caught Seamus's eye, and Seamus winked. Snape, however, was not pleased. **

**"Sit down," he snapped at Hermione. "For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?" **

**There was a sudden rummaging for quills and parchment. Over the noise, Snape said, "And a point will be taken from Gryffindor House for your cheek, Potter." **

**Things didn't improve for the Gryffindors as the Potions lesson continued. Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Malfoy, whom he seemed to like. **

Malfoy sat up proudly at this.

**He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs. **

**"Idiot boy!" snarled Snape, clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?" **

**Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose. **

**"Take him up to the hospital wing," Snape spat at Seamus. Then he rounded on Harry and Ron, who had been working next to Neville. **

**"You — Potter — why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor." **

"Severus," snapped McGonagall again. She couldn't believe he could be so shallow and cruel to an eleven year old.

**This was so unfair that Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Ron kicked him behind their table.**

**"Don't push it," he muttered, "I've heard Snape can turn very nasty." **

Harry snorted thinking about this year's fiascos in potions.

**As they climbed the steps out of the dungeon an hour later, Harry's mind was racing and his spirits were low. He'd lost two points for Gryffindor in his very first week —why did Snape hate him so much? **

"No worries you definitely out do yourself later," said George bracingly. Harry shot him a look.

**"Cheer up," said Ron, "Snape's always taking points off Fred and George. "Can I come and meet Hagrid with you?" **

**At five to three they left the castle and made their way across the grounds. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door. **

**When Harry knocked they heard a frantic scrabbling from inside and several booming barks. Then Hagrid's voice rang out, saying, "Back, Fang —back." **

**Hagrid's big, hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open. **

**"Hang on," he said. "Back, Fang." **

Hagrid smiled at the memory remembering how surprised and happy he had been to see Ron come in with Harry. He had been worried Harry would not be able to make any friends the first week. Then he had started bringing Hermione around two and the three had just seemed such a good set of kids that Hagrid could not have been happier for Harry.

**He let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound. **

**There was only one room inside. Hams and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling, a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire, and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt.**

Draco gave a disgusted look at that and laughed at Pansy's muttering about the living situation of the savage half-giant.

**"Make yerselves at home," said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at Ron and started licking his ears. Like Hagrid, Fang was clearly not as fierce as he looked. **

**"This is Ron," Harry told Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate. **

**"Another Weasley, eh?" said Hagrid, glancing at Ron's freckles. "I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest." **

"You're welcome Hagrid," said Lee and George together. Hagrid shook his head at the two fondly.

**The rock cakes were shapeless lumps with raisins that almost broke their teeth, **

Hagrid frowned they always seemed to like his cooking, though admittedly not many people did.

**but Harry and Ron pretended to be enjoying them as they told Hagrid all about their first lessons. Fang rested his head on Harry's knee and drooled all over his robes. **

**Harry and Ron were delighted to hear Hagrid call Filch "that old git." **

Hagrid stared down at his hands trying to ignore the glare he was getting behind his back from the caretaker.

**"An' as fer that cat, Mrs. Norris, I'd like ter introduce her to Fang sometime. **

Filch's grip on Mrs. Norris tightened.

**D'yeh know, every time I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere? Can't get rid of her — Filch puts her up to it"**

**Harry told Hagrid about Snape's lesson. Hagrid, like Ron, told Harry not to worry about it, that Snape liked hardly any of the students. **

**"But he seemed to really hate me." **

**"Rubbish!" said Hagrid. "Why should he?" **

**Yet Harry couldn't help thinking that Hagrid didn't quite meet his eyes when he said that. **

"Always know'n more than yer should," commented Hagrid with a great shake of his shaggy head. McGonagall and Lupin seemed to agree with him.

**"How's yer brother Charlie?" Hagrid asked Ron. "I liked him a lot — great with animals." **

**Harry wondered if Hagrid had changed the subject on purpose. While Ron told Hagrid all about Charlie's work with dragons, Harry picked up a piece of paper that was lying on the table under the tea cozy. It was a cutting from the Daily Prophet: **

**GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST **

**Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown. Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day. **

**"But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon. **

"And so Harry's curiosity begins to kick in even more," said Hermione with a smile. Harry looked at her with a sheepish grin.

**Harry remembered Ron telling him on the train that someone had tried to rob Gringotts, but Ron hadn't mentioned the date. **

**"Hagrid!" said Harry, "that Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might've been happening while we were there!" **

**There was no doubt about it, Hagrid definitely didn't meet Harry's eyes this time. He grunted and offered him another rock cake. **

McGonagall sighed in exasperation, quite sure now that whatever Hagrid knew Harry was sure to find out.

**Harry read the story again. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied earlier that same day. Hagrid had emptied vault seven hundred and thirteen, if you could call it emptying, taking out that grubby little package. Had that been what the thieves were looking for? **

**As Harry and Ron walked back to the castle for dinner, their pockets weighed down with rock cakes they'd been too polite to refuse, Harry thought that none of the lessons he'd had so far had given him as much to think about as tea with Hagrid. **

"Natural investigator," said Kingsley in his booming voice giving a significant look to Dumbledore. Dumbledore and the others nodded. Harry looked a little embarrassed.

**Had Hagrid collected that package just in time? Where was it now? And did Hagrid know something about Snape that he didn't want to tell Harry?**

"That's the end of the chapter," announced Tonks giving a small smile to Harry.

"Right, well would anybody else like to read?" asked Dumbledore with a smile around the room.

"I will Headmaster," offered Lupin taking the book from Tonks who smiled at him. Lupin blushed slightly as her hand brushed his as he passed her the book. Harry was really wondering how he had missed this sort of thing going on while he was at the order. He guessed he just hadn't seen Lupin and Tonks around each other enough.


	10. Chapter 9

**So I actually had this on my work computer at one point. Then forgot it was there when I was cleaning out some space for new files and deleted the first version of this chapter. So I had to start all over today. I hope it is permissible.**

* * *

Lupin looked at the title of the next chapter then gave Ron and Harry exasperated looks followed by a sigh. Harry and Ron glanced at each other wandering what was going to come up next.

"Professor Dumbledore, I know Madam Bones has kindly agreed to monitor the breaking of any rules and laws, but I was curious as to whether we were still going to count the breaking of school rules against students. It does not seem very fair," said Lupin.

"What do you mean not fair if someone breaks a rule they should be punished. It is only right," said Umbridge in outrage glaring down at Lupin as though he was filth. Tonks glared back at her catching Umbridge off guard that a ministry employee would dare to do such a thing.

"Yes, but it has been my practice as headmaster to not count past transgressions against my students. As such and since I am still in charge of this school I will not allow the punishment of past rule breaking or future rule breaking for that matter," said Dumbledore with a finality to his tone that had Umbridge fuming and looking to Fudge and Madam Bones for help. Madam Bones had however nodded along with Dumbledore's assessment, and Fudge was staring determinedly down at his bowler hat in front of him.

Lupin began to read.

**The Midnight Duel**

**Harry had never believed he would meet a boy he hated more than Dudley, but that was before he met Draco Malfoy. Still, first-year Gryffindors only had Potions with the Slytherins, **

"The good old days," muttered Ron. Harry snickered.

**so they didn't have to put up with Malfoy much. Or at least, they didn't until they spotted a notice pinned up in the Gryffindor common room that made them all groan. Flying lessons would be starting on Thursday — and Gryffindor and Slytherin would be learning together.**

**"Typical," said Harry darkly. "Just what I always wanted. To make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Malfoy."**

"Aw, that's too bad Harry considering you did exactly the opposite," said Pavarti with a false pitying voice and shooting Malfoy a snarky smile. Ron and Harry's grins broadened.

**He had been looking forward to learning to fly more than anything else.**

**"You don't know that you'll make a fool of yourself," said Ron reasonably. "Anyway, I know Malfoy's always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, but I bet that's all talk."**

**Malfoy certainly did talk about flying a lot. He complained loudly about first years never getting on the house Quidditch teams and told long, boastful stories that always seemed to end with him narrowly escaping Muggles in helicopters. **

Malfoy muttered to himself about it being true while Pansy simpered next to him saying she was sure it was.

**He wasn't the only one, though: the way Seamus Finnigan told it, he'd spent most of his childhood zooming around the countryside on his broomstick. **

Seamus grinned sheepishly.

**Even Ron would tell anyone who'd listen about the time he'd almost hit a hang glider on Charlie's old broom. **

"That one is actually true," said Fred with a grin.

"Oh, yeah I remember that mom was soooo mad at you," said Ginny with a smile. Ron's ears tinged red. Percy remembered the incident with a smile before catching himself and turning back to the book. Though he would never say it out loud he did miss his family as loud, crazy, and obnoxious as they could be.

**Everyone from wizarding families talked about Quidditch constantly. Ron had already had a big argument with Dean Thomas, who shared their dormitory, about soccer. **

"I have to admit I really do find Quidditch more interesting now. Which sort of disappointed my dad, but it's not like I don't still like soccer," said Dean with a shrug.

**Ron couldn't see what was exciting about a game with only one ball where no one was allowed to fly. Harry had caught Ron prodding Dean's poster of West Ham soccer team, trying to make the players move.**

Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron's antics.

**Neville had never been on a broomstick in his life, because his grandmother had never let him near one. Privately, Harry felt she'd had good reason, because Neville managed to have an extraordinary number of accidents even with both feet on the ground.**

"Sorry, Neville," said Harry wondering how many times he would have to tell him that.

"It's ok, Harry. Besides I know how clumsy I can be," replied Neville with a small grin.

**Hermione Granger was almost as nervous about flying as Neville was. **

Neville gave Hermione a wide eyed look.

"I was," said Hermione recalling her nerves. She had never been particularly scared of height but the idea of balancing on a piece of wood that could shoot into the air at high speeds had been unnerving.

**This was something you couldn't learn by heart out of a book — not that she hadn't tried. At breakfast on Thursday she bored them all stupid with flying tips she'd gotten out of a library book called Quidditch Through the Ages. **

"I thought you liked that book," said Hermione accusingly.

"I do now," replied Harry. "But hearing you talking about all the tips repeatedly through breakfast was a bit well-"

"Annoying," Ron finished for Harry. Hermione looked like she was about to argue thought about it then nodded her acceptance.

**Neville was hanging on to her every word, desperate for anything that might help him hang on to his broomstick later, but everybody else was very pleased when Hermione's lecture was interrupted by the arrival of the mail.**

**Harry hadn't had a single letter since Hagrid's note, something that Malfoy had been quick to notice, of course. Malfoy's eagle owl was always bringing him packages of sweets from home, which he opened gloatingly at the Slytherin table.**

A few people glared at Malfoy for using Harry's lack of a proper family to try and torment him. It was just a terrible thing to do.

**A barn owl brought Neville a small package from his grandmother. He opened it excitedly and showed them a glass ball the size of a large marble, which seemed to be full of white smoke.**

**"It's a Remembrall!" **

"Wicked," muttered a few students around the room. One third year muttering how she had wished she had had one last Thursday so she would have remembered McGonagall's homework.

**he explained. "Gran knows I forget things — this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red — oh…" His face fell, because the Remembrall had suddenly glowed scarlet, "… you've forgotten something…"**

**Neville was trying to remember what he'd forgotten when Draco Malfoy, who was passing the Gryffindor table, snatched the Remembrall out of his hand.**

**Harry and Ron jumped to their feet. They were half hoping for a reason to fight Malfoy,**

McGonagall sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of her nose. Dumbledore was looking at the ceiling and had chuckled to himself about the rashness of youth.

** but Professor McGonagall, who could spot trouble quicker than any teacher in the school, was there in a flash.**

McGonagall smiled proudly at the compliment.

**"What's going on?"**

**"Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor."**

**Scowling, Malfoy quickly dropped the Remembrall back on the table.**

**"Just looking," he said, and he sloped away with Crabbe and Goyle behind him.**

**At three-thirty that afternoon, Harry, Ron, and the other Gryffindors hurried down the front steps onto the grounds for their first flying lesson. It was a clear, breezy day, and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping lawns toward a smooth, flat lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the forbidden forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance.**

**The Slytherins were already there, and so were twenty broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground. Harry had heard Fred and George Weasley complain about the school brooms, saying that some of them started to vibrate if you flew too high, or always flew slightly to the left.**

"We are in need of new brooms Headmaster," commented Madam Hooch to Dumbledore.

"I have been trying Madam Hooch and will send out another batch of owls tonight. I have of yet to find a donation as that is the only way we can currently afford new brooms however," replied Dumbledore kindly. Madam Hooch nodded sadly and a few students groaned.

**Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk.**

**"Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."**

**Harry glanced down at his broom. It was old and some of the twigs stuck out at odd angles.**

Fudge made note to send word to the Department of Magical Games and Sports as soon as he could moved by the unfortunate state of the brooms.

**"Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say 'Up!'"**

**"UP" everyone shouted.**

**Harry's broom jumped into his hand at once, but it was one of the few that did. Hermione Granger's had simply rolled over on the ground, and Neville's hadn't moved at all. Perhaps brooms, like horses, could tell when you were afraid, thought Harry; **

"That is actually a very common believe as brooms are made from the same wood as wands which are known to react to their master's emotion," said Madam Hooch excitedly.

**there was a quaver in Neville's voice that said only too clearly that he wanted to keep his feet on the ground.**

**Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows correcting their grips. Harry and Ron were delighted when she told Malfoy he'd been doing it wrong for years.**

A few people chuckled as Malfoy tinged a little pink in the face.

**"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle — three — two —"**

**But Neville, nervous and jumpy and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch's lips.**

**"Come back, boy!" she shouted, but Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle — twelve feet — twenty feet. Harry saw his scared white face look down at the ground falling away, saw him gasp, slip sideways off the broom and —**

"Oh, no," said Luna looking alarmed.

**WHAM — a thud and a nasty crack and Neville lay facedown on the grass in a heap. His broomstick was still rising higher and higher, and started to drift lazily toward the forbidden forest and out of sight.**

**Madam Hooch was bending over Neville, her face as white as his.**

**"Broken wrist," **

Ginny grimaced empathetically having done the same thing when she was younger and fell out of a tree.

**Harry heard her mutter. "Come on, boy — it's all right, up you get."**

**She turned to the rest of the class.**

**"None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.' Come on, dear."**

**Neville, his face tear-streaked, clutching his wrist, hobbled off with Madam Hooch, who had her arm around him.**

**No sooner were they out of earshot than Malfoy burst into laughter.**

The Gryffindor table and a few DA members shot Malfoy dirty looks.

**"Did you see his face, the great lump?"**

**The other Slytherins joined in.**

**"Shut up, Malfoy," snapped Parvati Patil.**

"Thanks, Pavarti," said Neville. Pavarti waved him off saying that it was nothing.

**"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy Parkinson, a hard-faced Slytherin girl. "Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Parvati."**

"Oi," shouted the Weasley twins and a few other DA members. Neville was turning red, not from what the Slytherin's had said in the past but because so many people were jumping to defend him.

**"Look!" said Malfoy, darting forward and snatching something out of the grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."**

**The Remembrall glittered in the sun as he held it up.**

**"Give that here, Malfoy," said Harry quietly. Everyone stopped talking to watch.**

A few professors groaned. It was well known that nothing good would come of allowing Potter and Malfoy to talk to each other.

**Malfoy smiled nastily.**

**"I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find — how about — up a tree?"**

**"Give it here!" Harry yelled, but Malfoy had leapt onto his broomstick and taken off. **

"So you instigated the matter Mr. Malfoy," said McGonagall sending him a stern look.

"True, that may be we have already agreed to not give punishments for past events," cut in Snape evenly slightly smirking at McGonagall.

"True enough, I am sure there will be many more instances like these," said McGonagall with a sigh.

"Yes, and I am sure not all of them will be Draco's doing," said Snape sending Harry a glare which he returned. McGonagall sighed heavily.

Snape returned to the book with a horrible thought in his head.

'What if most of them are though? What if Potter is not at all the bully his father was? And really if he thought about it he had so far shown a dislike for bullying and the need to stand up to them even on other's behalves. He was like his mother.' Snape cut off that dangerous course of thought an zoned back into the werewolf's narration.

**He hadn't been lying, he could fly well. Hovering level with the topmost branches of an oak he called, "Come and get it, Potter!"**

**Harry grabbed his broom.**

**"No!" shouted Hermione Granger. "Madam Hooch told us not to move — you'll get us all into trouble."**

Hermione shook her head at her past self's actions, and Ron catching her eye grinned at her. She couldn't help herself she grinned back.

**Harry ignored her. Blood was pounding in his ears. **

"Never a good thing," said Ron. Hermione nodded wholeheartedly as Harry rolled his eyes at them trying not to get angry.

**He mounted the broom and kicked hard against the ground and up, up he soared; air rushed through his hair, and his robes whipped out behind him — and in a rush of fierce joy he realized he'd found something he could do without being taught —**

Lupin was smiling broadly at Harry. Harry gave him an inquisitive look.

"Sirius got you your first broom for your first birthday. Lily had thought he was crazy, but you got on that broom and were zooming around the house so fast I thought your father was going to die of happiness. He went on and on all the time about how you would be a great Quidditch player. It's nice to know that he was right," Lupin explained. Harry was flush with embarrassment as his friends smiled broadly at him ignoring the quiet gagging noises coming from the Slytherin table.

** this was easy, this was wonderful. He pulled his broomstick up a little to take it even higher, and heard screams and gasps of girls back on the ground and an admiring whoop from Ron.**

**He turned his broomstick sharply to face Malfoy in midair. Malfoy looked stunned.**

**"Give it here," Harry called, "or I'll knock you off that broom!"**

**"Oh, yeah?" said Malfoy, trying to sneer, but looking worried.**

**Harry knew, somehow, what to do. He leaned forward and grasped the broom tightly in both hands, and it shot toward Malfoy like a javelin. Malfoy only just got out of the way in time; Harry made a sharp about-face and held the broom steady. A few people below were clapping.**

"It was really impressive," commented Seamus loudly.

**"No Crabbe and Goyle up here to save your neck, Malfoy," Harry called.**

**The same thought seemed to have struck Malfoy.**

"Coward," seethed Ginny.

**"Catch it if you can, then!" he shouted, and he threw the glass ball high into the air and streaked back toward the ground.**

**Harry saw, as though in slow motion, the ball rise up in the air and then start to fall. He leaned forward and pointed his broom handle down — next second he was gathering speed in a steep dive, racing the ball **

"On a school broom?!" said a few Quidditch players and fans who had not heard the story of how the great Harry Potter became Hogwarts's youngest seeker in a century

**— wind whistled in his ears, mingled with the screams of people watching — he stretched out his hand — a foot from the ground he caught it, just in time to pull his broom straight, and he toppled gently onto the grass with the Remembrall clutched safely in his fist.**

**"HARRY POTTER!"**

**His heart sank faster than he'd just dived. Professor McGonagall was running toward them. He got to his feet, trembling.**

**"Never — in all my time at Hogwarts —"**

**Professor McGonagall was almost speechless with shock, and her glasses flashed furiously, "— how dare you — might have broken your neck —"**

**"It wasn't his fault, Professor —"**

**"Be quiet, Miss Patil —"**

**"But Malfoy —"**

**"That's enough, Mr. Weasley. Potter, follow me, now."**

Professor Sprout gave McGonagall a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry, Ms. Patil, , and Mr. Potter it seems in my excitement I was quite brusque with you," McGonagall said gruffly. The Gryffindor's all smiled fondly at McGonagall. She might not have been the most lenient Head of House, but she always tried to be fair and they all knew she truly cared for them all.

**Harry caught sight of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle's triumphant faces as he left, walking numbly in Professor McGonagall's wake as she strode toward the castle. He was going to be expelled, he just knew it. He wanted to say something to defend himself, but there seemed to be something wrong with his voice. Professor McGonagall was sweeping along without even looking at him; he had to jog to keep up. Now he'd done it. He hadn't even lasted two weeks. He'd be packing his bags in ten minutes. What would the Dursleys say when he turned up on the doorstep?**

"You worry too much mate," said Lee Jordan in amusement.

**Up the front steps, up the marble staircase inside, and still Professor McGonagall didn't say a word to him. She wrenched open doors and marched along corridors with Harry trotting miserably behind her. Maybe she was taking him to Dumbledore. He thought of Hagrid, expelled but allowed to stay on as gamekeeper. Perhaps he could be Hagrid's assistant. His stomach twisted as he imagined it, watching Ron and the others becoming wizards, while he stumped around the grounds carrying Hagrid's bag.**

"Really Harry," sighed Hermione. Harry was getting really tired of people knowing what he was thinking during times like these and they had not even made it through his first year.

**Professor McGonagall stopped outside a classroom. She opened the door and poked her head inside.**

**"Excuse me, Professor Flitwick, could I borrow Wood for a moment?"**

**Wood? thought Harry, bewildered; was Wood a cane she was going to use on him?**

"I would never," said McGonagall with a gasp. She gave Harry a wide eyed look.

"I know that now Professor, I was just panicking," said Harry soothingly. McGonagall nodded her head absolutely appalled by the idea of causing physical pain to a student.

**But Wood turned out to be a person, a burly fifth-year boy who came out of Flitwick's class looking confused.**

The original Gryffindor Quidditch team members from that year shared a fond smile for their former captain.

"I wish he would come back, this captain stuff is harder than I thought," muttered Angelina with a sigh.

"You are doing a bang up job considering the circumstances," said George bracingly sending a glare towards Umbridge.

**"Follow me, you two," said Professor McGonagall, and they marched on up the corridor, Wood looking curiously at Harry.**

**"In here."**

**Professor McGonagall pointed them into a classroom that was empty except for Peeves, who was busy writing rude words on the blackboard.**

**"Out, Peeves!" she barked. Peeves threw the chalk into a bin, which clanged loudly, and he swooped out cursing. Professor McGonagall slammed the door behind him and turned to face the two boys.**

**"Potter, this is Oliver Wood. Wood — I've found you a Seeker."**

**Wood's expression changed from puzzlement to delight.**

**"Are you serious, Professor?"**

**"Absolutely," said Professor McGonagall crisply. "The boy's a natural. I've never seen anything like it. Was that your first time on a broomstick, Potter?"**

"Apparently not quite," said Ron with a grin.

**Harry nodded silently. He didn't have a clue what was going on, but he didn't seem to be being expelled, and some of the feeling started coming back to his legs.**

**"He caught that thing in his hand after a fifty-foot dive," Professor McGonagall told Wood. "Didn't even scratch himself. Charlie Weasley couldn't have done it."**

**Wood was now looking as though all his dreams had come true at once.**

"I am pretty sure he had actually said that at one point after you joined the team," commented Katie Bell.

**"Ever seen a game of Quidditch, Potter?" he asked excitedly.**

**"Wood's captain of the Gryffindor team," Professor McGonagall explained.**

**"He's just the build for a Seeker, too," said Wood, now walking around Harry and staring at him. "Light —speedy — we'll have to get him a decent broom, Professor — a Nimbus Two Thousand or a Cleansweep Seven, I'd say."**

**"I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can't bend the first-year rule. **

Snape snorted. 'Of course they would for Potter.'

**Heaven knows, we need a better team than last year. Flattened in that last match by Slytherin, I couldn't look Severus Snape in the face for weeks…"**

**Professor McGonagall peered sternly over her glasses at Harry.**

**"I want to hear you're training hard, Potter, or I may change my mind about punishing you."**

**Then she suddenly smiled.**

**"Your father would have been proud," she said. "He was an excellent Quidditch player himself."**

**"You're joking."**

**It was dinnertime. Harry had just finished telling Ron what had happened when he'd left the grounds with Professor McGonagall. Ron had a piece of steak and kidney pie halfway to his mouth, but he'd forgotten all about it.**

"Quidditch the only thing that can distract Ron from eating," said Hermione with almost a sad sigh. Ron's ears turned red as the Weasleys and the other Gryffindors laughed.

**"Seeker?" he said. "But first years never — you must be the youngest house player in about —"**

**" — a century," said Harry, shoveling pie into his mouth. He felt particularly hungry after the excitement of the afternoon. "Wood told me."**

**Ron was so amazed, so impressed, he just sat and gaped at Harry.**

**"I start training next week," said Harry. "Only don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret."**

"That worked for about five minutes," said Alicia Spinnet.

**Fred and George Weasley now came into the hall, spotted Harry, and hurried over.**

**"Well done," said George in a low voice. "Wood told us. We're on the team too — Beaters."**

**"I tell you, we're going to win that Quidditch cup for sure this year," said Fred. "We haven't won since Charlie left, but this year's team is going to be brilliant. You must be good, Harry, Wood was almost skipping when he told us."**

**"Anyway, we've got to go, Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret passageway out of the school."**

**"Bet it's that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you."**

Muttering went around the hall about this secret passageway causing the professors to groan and Filch mutter to Mrs. Norris to go guard the statue.

**Fred and George had hardly disappeared when someone far less welcome turned up: Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.**

**"Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?"**

**"You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and you've got your little friends with you," said Harry coolly. There was of course nothing at all little about Crabbe and Goyle, but as the High Table was full of teachers, neither of them could do more than crack their knuckles and scowl.**

'Again, that is a very Slytherin move on the boys part,' thought Snape, becoming quite convinced these books were going to give him an aneurism.

**"I'd take you on anytime on my own," said Malfoy. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only — no contact. **

The professors groaned again, and McGonagall braced herself knowing that Harry and Ron would not not show up after being challenged.

**What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?"**

**"Of course he has," said Ron, wheeling around. "I'm his second, who's yours?"**

**Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up.**

**"Crabbe," he said. "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked."**

"This is a trick isn't it," said Cho Chang looking over to Harry. Harry ducked his head in embarrassment. Cho shook her head at him.

**When Malfoy had gone, Ron and Harry looked at each other.**

**"What is a wizard's duel?" **

"Ha, I knew you didn't know," said Malfoy triumphantly. Malfoy's little gang chortled, but most people just rolled their eyes.

**said Harry. "And what do you mean, you're my second?"**

**"Well, a second's there to take over if you die," said Ron casually, getting started at last on his cold pie. Catching the look on Harry's face, he added quickly, "But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards. The most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real damage. **

"Thank heavens," said McGonagall praying they never did get into a proper duel. (A/N: Wonder how everyone will react to the 6th year duel in the bathroom)

**I bet he expected you to refuse, anyway."**

**"And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?"**

**"Throw it away and punch him on the nose," Ron suggested.**

"Could call little bro," said Fred with a grin. George chuckled and Ron's ears went pink.

**"Excuse me."**

**They both looked up. It was Hermione Granger.**

**"Can't a person eat in peace in this place?" said Ron.**

**Hermione ignored him and spoke to Harry.**

**"I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying —"**

**"Bet you could," Ron muttered.**

**"— and you mustn't go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. **

"Actually considering the amount of times you have been out of bed and the amount of times you have been caught, I think you are doing quite well Harry," said Hermione correcting her past self with a smirk. Harry grinned sheepishly as McGonagall sent him a stern disapproving look.

**It's really very selfish of you."**

**"And it's really none of your business," said Harry.**

**"Good-bye," said Ron.**

**All the same, it wasn't what you'd call the perfect end to the day, Harry thought, as he lay awake much later listening to Dean and Seamus falling asleep (Neville wasn't back from the hospital wing). Ron had spent all evening giving him advice such as "If he tries to curse you, you'd better dodge it, because I can't remember how to block them." **

"I sure as hell do now," muttered Ron to Harry with a grin, and receiving one in return.

**There was a very good chance they were going to get caught by Filch or Mrs. Norris, **

Umbridge was absolutely gleeful at the idea of Harry finally getting into some trouble.

**and Harry felt he was pushing his luck, breaking another school rule today. On the other hand, Malfoy's sneering face kept looming up out of the darkness — this was his big chance to beat Malfoy face-to-face. He couldn't miss it.**

**"Half-past eleven," Ron muttered at last, "we'd better go."**

**They pulled on their bathrobes, **

"You are going to duel in bathrobes?" asked Lavender Brown incredulously.

"Don't you know it's the latest in dueling fashion," said George haughtily. Lavender and Pavarti giggled at George's antics.

**picked up their wands, and crept across the tower room, down the spiral staircase, and into the Gryffindor common room. A few embers were still glowing in the fireplace, turning all the armchairs into hunched black shadows. They had almost reached the portrait hole when a voice spoke from the chair nearest them, "I can't believe you're going to do this, Harry."**

"Wow, Hermione you were really noise," said Ginny in surprise. Hermione flushed.

**A lamp flickered on. It was Hermione Granger, wearing a pink bathrobe **

"See Hermione knew about the bathrobes," said George again. Fred nodded solemnly as people chuckled.

**and a frown.**

**"You!" said Ron furiously. "Go back to bed!"**

**"I almost told your brother," Hermione snapped, "Percy — he's a prefect, he'd put a stop to this."**

**Harry couldn't believe anyone could be so interfering.**

Everybody sent Harry an incredulous look. Harry ignored them and sent a glare at them book. His anger was building again as he got tired of everybody's judgments being constantly directed at him.

**"Come on," he said to Ron. He pushed open the portrait of the Fat Lady and climbed through the hole.**

**Hermione wasn't going to give up that easily. She followed Ron through the portrait hole, hissing at them like an angry goose.**

**"Don't you care about Gryffindor, do you only care about yourselves, I don't want Slytherin to win the house cup, and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells."**

**"Go away."**

**"All right, but I warned you, you just remember what I said when you're on the train home tomorrow, you're so —"**

**But what they were, they didn't find out. Hermione had turned to the portrait of the Fat Lady to get back inside and found herself facing an empty painting. The Fat Lady had gone on a nighttime visit and Hermione was locked out of Gryffindor tower.**

"And thus the first adventure of the Golden Trio began," announced Fred dramatically to a round of applause provided by George and Lee Jordan.

**"Now what am I going to do?" she asked shrilly.**

**"That's your problem," said Ron. "We've got to go, we're going to be late."**

**They hadn't even reached the end of the corridor when Hermione caught up with them.**

**"I'm coming with you," she said.**

**"You are not."**

**"D'you think I'm going to stand out here and wait for Filch to catch me? If he finds all three of us I'll tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up."**

"You really think he would listen?" asked Angelina spitefully.

**"You've got some nerve —" said Ron loudly.**

**"Shut up, both of you!" said Harry sharply. "I heard something."**

**It was a sort of snuffling.**

**"Mrs. Norris?" breathed Ron, squinting through the dark.**

**It wasn't Mrs. Norris. It was Neville. **

"Close enough," muttered Blaise Zabini. Malfoy and the rest chuckled.

**He was curled up on the floor, fast asleep, but jerked suddenly awake as they crept nearer.**

**"Thank goodness you found me! I've been out here for hours, I couldn't remember the new password to get in to bed."**

**"Keep your voice down, Neville. The password's 'Pig snout' but it won't help you now, the Fat Lady's gone off somewhere."**

**"How's your arm?" said Harry.**

Neville smiled thinking about how Harry always cared no matter what he was in the middle of, which was saying something as Harry's life was full of worrisome and dangerous events that Neville doubts he would have been able to make it through if he was Harry.

**"Fine," said Neville, showing them. "Madam Pomfrey mended it in about a minute."**

**"Good — well, look, Neville, we've got to be somewhere, we'll see you later —"**

**"Don't leave me!" said Neville, scrambling to his feet, "I don't want to stay here alone, the Bloody Baron's been past twice already."**

**Ron looked at his watch and then glared furiously at Hermione and Neville.**

**"If either of you get us caught, I'll never rest until I've learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about, and used it on you."**

**Hermione opened her mouth, perhaps to tell Ron exactly how to use the Curse of the Bogies, but Harry hissed at her to be quiet and beckoned them all forward.**

Kingsley and Tonks were smiling to themselves. It was a key part of being an Auror to know how to keep your head about you in any situation. It seemed like Harry had that naturally when it came to leading a group of people.

**They flitted along corridors striped with bars of moonlight from the high windows. At every turn Harry expected to run into Filch or Mrs. Norris, but they were lucky. They sped up a staircase to the third floor and tiptoed toward the trophy room.**

**Malfoy and Crabbe weren't there yet. **

"Because it is a trap," said Marietta Edgecombe as if it was completely obvious and she had not stolen exactly what Cho had just said.

**The crystal trophy cases glimmered where the moonlight caught them. Cups, shields, plates, and statues winked silver and gold in the darkness. They edged along the walls, keeping their eyes on the doors at either end of the room. Harry took out his wand in case Malfoy leapt in and started at once. The minutes crept by.**

**"He's late, maybe he's chickened out," Ron whispered.**

**Then a noise in the next room made them jump. Harry had only just raised his wand when they heard someone speak — and it wasn't Malfoy.**

**"Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner."**

"Filch," said several groups of students around the room in disgust. Filch glared at him from his corner in the room.

**It was Filch speaking to Mrs. Norris. Horror-struck, Harry waved madly at the other three to follow him as quickly as possible; they scurried silently toward the door, away from Filch's voice. Neville's robes had barely whipped round the corner when they heard Filch enter the trophy room.**

**"They're in here somewhere," they heard him mutter, "probably hiding."**

**"This way!" Harry mouthed to the others and, petrified, they began to creep down a long gallery full of suits of armor. They could hear Filch getting nearer. Neville suddenly let out a frightened squeak and broke into a run he tripped, grabbed Ron around the waist, and the pair of them toppled right into a suit of armor.**

"Sorry," said Neville in embarrassment.

**The clanging and crashing were enough to wake the whole castle.**

**"RUN!" Harry yelled, and the four of them sprinted down the gallery, not looking back to see whether Filch was following — they swung around the doorpost and galloped down one corridor then another, Harry in the lead, without any idea where they were or where they were going — they ripped through a tapestry and found themselves in a hidden passageway, hurtled along it and came out near their Charms classroom, which they knew was miles from the trophy room.**

**"I think we've lost him," Harry panted, leaning against the cold wall and wiping his forehead. Neville was bent double, wheezing and spluttering.**

**"I —told — you," Hermione gasped, clutching at the stitch in her chest, "I — told — you."**

Hermione was surprised at how out of shape her passed self was, but she supposed hanging around Harry and having to run around on all his adventures must have improved her stamina more than she thought.

**"We've got to get back to Gryffindor tower," said Ron, "quickly as possible."**

**"Malfoy tricked you," Hermione said to Harry. "You realize that, don't you? He was never going to meet you — Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off."**

**Harry thought she was probably right, but he wasn't going to tell her that.**

"We never do," said Harry and Ron together grinning at Hermione who rolled her eyes.

**"Let's go."**

**It wasn't going to be that simple. They hadn't gone more than a dozen paces when a doorknob rattled and something came shooting out of a classroom in front of them.**

**It was Peeves. He caught sight of them and gave a squeal of delight.**

"You have the worst luck," said Zacharias Smith in awe.

**"Shut up, Peeves — please — you'll get us thrown out."**

**Peeves cackled.**

**"Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty."**

**"Not if you don't give us away, Peeves, please."**

**"Should tell Filch, I should," said Peeves in a saintly voice, but his eyes glittered wickedly. "It's for your own good, you know."**

**"Get out of the way," snapped Ron, taking a swipe at Peeves **

The twins groaned at their brother's mistake.

**this was a big mistake.**

**"STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves bellowed, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!"**

**Ducking under Peeves, they ran for their lives, right to the end of the corridor where they slammed into a door — and it was locked.**

**"This is it!" Ron moaned, as they pushed helplessly at the door, "We're done for! This is the end!"**

"Oh, Ron you are sounding like Harry," said Ginny. Harry turned to glare at her but her smile melted away his anger and he ended up smiling in spite himself. Harry liked the new Ginny that actually talked. She was actually quite interesting and fun to talk to.

**They could hear footsteps, Filch running as fast as he could toward Peeves's shouts.**

**"Oh, move over," Hermione snarled. She grabbed Harry's wand, tapped the lock, and whispered, "Alohomora!"**

A few professors and Lupin himself gawked at Hermione for a second.

"You already knew the unlocking spell?" asked McGonagall faintly, thinking she really shouldn't be surprised. Hermione nodded her head modestly staring at the table.

**The lock clicked and the door swung open — they piled through it, shut it quickly, and pressed their ears against it, listening.**

**"Which way did they go, Peeves?" Filch was saying. "Quick, tell me."**

**"Say 'please.'"**

**"Don't mess with me, Peeves, now where did they go?"**

**"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," **

Fred and George laughed to themselves over having taught Peeves this very trick.

**said Peeves in his annoying singsong voice.**

**"All right —please."**

**"NOTHING! Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaa!" And they heard the sound of Peeves whooshing away and Filch cursing in rage.**

**"He thinks this door is locked," Harry whispered. "I think we'll be okay — get off, Neville!" For Neville had been tugging on the sleeve of Harry's bathrobe for the last minute. "What?"**

**Harry turned around — and saw, quite clearly, what. For a moment, he was sure he'd walked into a nightmare **

The school groaned as many had already guessed where they were.

**—this was too much, on top of everything that had happened so far.**

**They weren't in a room, as he had supposed. They were in a corridor. The forbidden corridor on the third floor. And now they knew why it was forbidden.**

**They were looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, a dog that filled the whole space between ceiling and floor. It had three heads. Three pairs of rolling, mad eyes; three noses, twitching and quivering in their direction; three drooling mouths, saliva hanging in slippery ropes from yellowish fangs.**

"Why would you keep that in a school?" asked Ernie MacMillan incredulously as a few others nodded mutely in shock.

**It was standing quite still, all six eyes staring at them, and Harry knew that the only reason they weren't already dead was that their sudden appearance had taken it by surprise, but it was quickly getting over that, there was no mistaking what those thunderous growls meant.**

**Harry groped for the doorknob — between Filch and death, he'd take Filch.**

"That is actually a tough choice," commented Michael Corner to his friend eyeing Filch looming in the corner.

**They fell backward — Harry slammed the door shut, and they ran, they almost flew, back down the corridor. Filch must have hurried off to look for them somewhere else, because they didn't see him anywhere, but they hardly cared — all they wanted to do was put as much space as possible between them and that monster. They didn't stop running until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor.**

**"Where on earth have you all been?" she asked, looking at their bathrobes hanging off their shoulders and their flushed, sweaty faces.**

**"Never mind that — pig snout, pig snout," panted Harry, and the portrait swung forward. They scrambled into the common room and collapsed, trembling, into armchairs.**

**It was a while before any of them said anything. Neville, indeed, looked as if he'd never speak again.**

"I don't think I would have looked much better mate," said Dean Thomas to Neville bracingly.

**"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" said Ron finally. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does."**

**Hermione had got both her breath and her bad temper back again. **

The Gryffindor table groaned and Hermione blushed.

**"You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" she snapped. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"**

**"The floor?" Harry suggested. "I wasn't looking at its feet, I was too busy with its heads."**

"There were three of them," said Lee sympathetically.

**"No, not the floor. It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something."**

**She stood up, glaring at them.**

**"I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed — or worse, expelled. **

"My I was a bit annoying wasn't I," commented Hermione in embarrassment.

"It wasn't that bad really besides me and Harry have done a fine job corrupting you," said Ron with a grin. Harry punched Ron in the arm on Hermione's behalf.

**Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed."**

**Ron stared after her, his mouth open.**

**"No, we don't mind," he said. "You'd think we dragged her along, wouldn't you."**

**But Hermione had given Harry something else to think about as he climbed back into bed. The dog was guarding something… What had Hagrid said? Gringotts was the safest place in the world for something you wanted to hide — except perhaps Hogwarts.**

**It looked as though Harry had found out where the grubby little package from vault seven hundred and thirteen was.**

"Well that didn't take long," said George pulling out a piece of paper and reviewing it with Fred. Hermione glared at them as Harry and Ron shared a glance. It was probably a good bet that there was a list of names with a certain amount of money and a date listed on that paper.

Lupin marked the page and closed the book looking around expectantly.

"Would anybody else like to read?" he asked.

"I will," said Hermione reaching her hand across for the book. Lupin obliged her and all eyes turned to Hermione.


	11. Chapter 10

**Not much development in this chapter, but not to worry I have plans. Yes many many plans that include confessions. realizations, epiphanies, some awesome reactions, the changing of allegiances, etc. However I got to spread it out or what will I do for the rest of the books?**

* * *

Hermione smiled broadly at Ron and Harry after her eyes scanned the title. Ron and Harry gave her a confused look.

"**Halloween**," read out Hermione. The guys smiled at her and then looked nervously up at McGonagall. This would be a record of the first time they lied to her.

**Malfoy couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that Harry and Ron were still at Hogwarts the next day, looking tired but perfectly cheerful. Indeed, by the next morning Harry and Ron thought that meeting the three-headed dog had been an excellent adventure,**

"Of course you did," said Lupin with a chuckle thinking of how James and Sirius would have reacted. McGonagall was pinching the bridge of her nose again praying for patience.

** and they were quite keen to have another one. In the meantime, Harry filled Ron in about the package that seemed to have been moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts, and they spent a lot of time wondering what could possibly need such heavy protection.**

**"It's either really valuable or really dangerous," said Ron.**

**"Or both," said Harry.**

**But as all they knew for sure about the mysterious object was that it was about two inches long, they didn't have much chance of guessing what it was without further clues.**

"Did it ever occur to you two that maybe it was none of your business what was in that package," seethed Snape.

"Nope," said Harry and Ron blatantly. Hermione quickly continued working with a mischievous smirk so that Snape couldn't retaliate.

**Neither Neville nor Hermione showed the slightest interest in what lay underneath the dog and the trapdoor. All Neville cared about was never going near the dog again.**

**Hermione was now refusing to speak to Harry and Ron, but she was such a bossy know-it-all that they saw this as an added bonus. **

"Sorry Hermione," said Harry and Ron quickly. Hermione waved it off while people still gawked at the idea that there was a point where Ron and Harry did not like Hermione at all.

**All they really wanted now was a way of getting back at Malfoy, and to their great delight, just such a thing arrived in the mail about a week later.**

Lupin rolled his eyes Harry may have been a lot like his mother but there was definitely a streak of his father's mischief and pride in him.

**As the owls flooded into the Great Hall as usual, everyone's attention was caught at once by a long, thin package carried by six large screech owls. Harry was just as interested as everyone else to see what was in this large parcel, and was amazed when the owls soared down and dropped it right in front of him, knocking his bacon to the floor. They had hardly fluttered out of the way when another owl dropped a letter on top of the parcel.**

**Harry ripped open the letter first, which was lucky, because it said:**

**DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE.**

**It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don't want everybody knowing you've got a broomstick or they'll all want one. Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch field at seven o'clock for your first training session.**

**Professor McGonagall**

**Harry had difficulty hiding his glee as he handed the note to Ron to read.**

**"A Nimbus Two Thousand!" Ron moaned enviously. "I've never even touched one."**

"Why do you always get all the best brooms?" asked Cho with a pout.

"Seriously, you are already a phenomenal flyer having the best broom just makes you impossible to beat. I mean I felt bad when you got band, but it was a bit of a relief for all the teams since you aren't there to guarantee Gryffindor catches the snitch." said the Summerby, the Hufflepuff seeker. There was a general murmur of agreement among the Quidditch players except for the Slytherin team which was glaring at Harry. Harry just shrugged his shoulders at this he was a little embarrassed from the bragging but mostly depressed at the reminder of his band from Quidditch.

**They left the hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomstick in private before their first class, but halfway across the entrance hall they found the way upstairs barred by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy seized the package from Harry and felt it.**

**"That's a broomstick," he said, throwing it back to Harry with a mixture of jealousy and spite on his face. "You'll be in for it this time, Potter, first years aren't allowed them."**

**Ron couldn't resist it.**

**"It's not any old broomstick," he said, "it's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty?" Ron grinned at Harry. "Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus."**

Hermione sighed and shook her head at Ron's antics.

**"What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle," **

The Weasleys (even Percy) glared at Malfoy.

**Malfoy snapped back. "I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig."**

**Before Ron could answer, Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow.**

**"Not arguing, I hope, boys?" he squeaked.**

A few of the teachers snorted and Professor Flitwick smiled. Of course they were arguing it was all those two did.

**"Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor," said Malfoy quickly.**

**"Yes, yes, that's right," said Professor Flitwick, beaming at Harry. "Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?"**

**"A Nimbus Two Thousand, it is," said Harry, fighting not to laugh at the look of horror on Malfoy's face. "And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it," he added.**

The twins snickered.

"Nice one Harry," said Lee Jordan.

**Harry and Ron headed upstairs, smothering their laughter at Malfoy's obvious rage and confusion.**

**"Well, it's true," Harry chortled as they reached the top of the marble staircase, "If he hadn't stolen Neville's Remembrall I wouldn't be on the team…"**

**"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" came an angry voice from just behind them. Hermione was stomping up the stairs, looking disapprovingly at the package in Harry's hand.**

**"I thought you weren't speaking to us?" said Harry.**

**"Yes, don't stop now," said Ron, "it's doing us so much good."**

"Wow, sorry Hermione," said Ron wincing at the harshness of his past self. Hermione waved it off with a smile. It didn't matter to her how they were it was how they are now that counted.

**Hermione marched away with her nose in the air.**

**Harry had a lot of trouble keeping his mind on his lessons that day. It kept wandering up to the dormitory where his new broomstick was lying under his bed, or straying off to the Quidditch field where he'd be learning to play that night. He bolted his dinner that evening without noticing what he was eating, and then rushed upstairs with Ron to unwrap the Nimbus Two Thousand at last.**

"Surprised you lasted that long," said George.

"Yeah, we would have probably skived of class for the day," said Fred with a smirk. Lupin shook his head at the twins' antics.

**"Wow," Ron sighed, as the broomstick rolled onto Harry's bedspread.**

**Even Harry, who knew nothing about the different brooms, thought it looked wonderful. Sleek and shiny, with a mahogany handle, it had a long tail of neat, straight twigs and Nimbus Two Thousand written in gold near the top.**

**As seven o'clock drew nearer, Harry left the castle and set off in the dusk toward the Quidditch field. He'd never been inside the stadium before. Hundreds of seats were raised in stands around the field so that the spectators were high enough to see what was going on. At either end of the field were three golden poles with hoops on the end. They reminded Harry of the little plastic sticks Muggle children blew bubbles through,**

Hermione giggled that was exactly what she had thought the first time she had seen them.

** except that they were fifty feet high.**

**Too eager to fly again to wait for Wood, Harry mounted his broomstick and kicked off from the ground. What a feeling — he swooped in and out of the goal posts and then sped up and down the field. The Nimbus Two Thousand turned wherever he wanted at his lightest touch.**

**"Hey, Potter, come down!"**

**Oliver Wood had arrived. He was carrying a large wooden crate under his arm. Harry landed next to him.**

**"Very nice," said Wood, his eyes glinting. "I see what McGonagall meant… you really are a natural. I'm just going to teach you the rules this evening, then you'll be joining team practice three times a week."**

**He opened the crate. Inside were four different-sized balls.**

**"Right," said Wood. "Now, Quidditch is easy enough to understand, even if it's not too easy to play. **

"Only if your name is Weasley," said Malfoy to his cronies who cracked up.

**There are seven players on each side. Three of them are called Chasers."**

**"Three Chasers," Harry repeated, as Wood took out a bright red ball about the size of a soccer ball.**

**"This ball's called the Quaffle," said Wood. "The Chasers throw the Quaffle to each other and try and get it through one of the hoops to score a goal. Ten points every time the Quaffle goes through one of the hoops. Follow me?"**

**"The Chasers throw the Quaffle and put it through the hoops to score," Harry recited. "So — that's sort of like basketball on broomsticks with six hoops, isn't it?"**

"Never thought of it like that," said Justin Finch-Fletchley thoughtfully.

**"What's basketball?" said Wood curiously.**

**"Never mind," said Harry quickly.**

**"Now, there's another player on each side who's called the Keeper — I'm Keeper for Gryffindor. I have to fly around our hoops and stop the other team from scoring."**

**"Three Chasers, one Keeper," said Harry, who was determined to remember it all. "And they play with the Quaffle. Okay, got that. So what are they for?" He pointed at the three balls left inside the box.**

**"I'll show you now," said Wood. "Take this."**

**He handed Harry a small club, a bit like a short baseball bat.**

**"I'm going to show you what the Bludgers do," **

"I am well aware of what they do now," said Harry remembering 2nd year. The surrounding Gryffindors nodded and made Lupin feel nervous especially as he noticed McGonagall had paled and a few teachers had shifted uncomfortably.

**Wood said. "These two are the Bludgers."**

**He showed Harry two identical balls, jet black and slightly smaller than the red Quaffle. Harry noticed that they seemed to be straining to escape the straps holding them inside the box.**

**"Stand back," Wood warned Harry. He bent down and freed one of the Bludgers.**

**At once, the black ball rose high in the air and then pelted straight at Harry's face. Harry swung at it with the bat to stop it from breaking his nose, and sent it zigzagging away into the air — it zoomed around their heads and then shot at Wood, who dived on top of it and managed to pin it to the ground.**

**"See?" Wood panted, forcing the struggling Bludger back into the crate and strapping it down safely. "The Bludgers rocket around, trying to knock players off their brooms. That's why you have two Beaters on each team — the Weasley twins are ours — it's their job to protect their side from the Bludgers and try and knock them toward the other team. So — think you've got all that?"**

**"Three Chasers try and score with the Quaffle; the Keeper guards the goal posts; the Beaters keep the Bludgers away from their team," Harry reeled off.**

**"Very good," said Wood.**

**"Er — have the Bludgers ever killed anyone?" Harry asked, hoping he sounded offhand.**

A few people sighed at Harry's ability to worry about the extreme. Something that was really beginning to irritate Harry since honestly if he was not so paranoid and thought about these things enough he probably would not have stayed alive this long.

**"Never at Hogwarts. We've had a couple of broken jaws but nothing worse than that. **

"Until your second year of course," said Hermione with a sigh. Harry began to grind his teeth really like it was his fault. Lupin's dread deepened but he did not feel like pushing Harry for answers at this point if the look on his face was anything to go by.

**Now, the last member of the team is the Seeker. That's you. And you don't have to worry about the Quaffle or the Bludgers —"**

**"— unless they crack my head open."**

A few people chuckled.

**"Don't worry, the Weasleys are more than a match for the Bludgers — I mean, they're like a pair of human Bludgers themselves."**

"Aaawww, that's probably the nicest thing he's ever said about us," said Fred and George pretending to wipe their eyes with each other's robe.

**Wood reached into the crate and took out the fourth and last ball. Compared with the Quaffle and the Bludgers, it was tiny, about the size of a large walnut. It was bright gold and had little fluttering silver wings.**

**"This," said Wood, "is the Golden Snitch, and it's the most important ball of the lot. It's very hard to catch because it's so fast and difficult to see. It's the Seeker's job to catch it. You've got to weave in and out of the Chasers, Beaters, Bludgers, and Quaffle to get it before the other team's Seeker, because whichever Seeker catches the Snitch wins his team an extra hundred and fifty points, so they nearly always win. That's why Seekers get fouled so much. A game of Quidditch only ends when the Snitch is caught, so it can go on for ages — I think the record is three months, they had to keep bringing on substitutes so the players could get some sleep."**

**"Well, that's it any questions?"**

**Harry shook his head. He understood what he had to do all right, it was doing it that was going to be the problem.**

"No, it really isn't for you," said Ginny with a smile. Harry smiled back surprised again how this compliment and smile from Ginny seemed to diffuse the inferno of anger that kept building up.

**"We won't practice with the Snitch yet," said Wood, carefully shutting it back inside the crate, "it's too dark, we might lose it. Let's try you out with a few of these."**

**He pulled a bag of ordinary golf balls out of his pocket and a few minutes later, he and Harry were up in the air, Wood throwing the golf balls as hard as he could in every direction for Harry to catch.**

**Harry didn't miss a single one, and Wood was delighted. After half an hour, night had really fallen and they couldn't carry on.**

**"That Quidditch Cup'll have our name on it this year," said Wood happily as they trudged back up to the castle. "I wouldn't be surprised if you turn out better than Charlie Weasley, and he could have played for England if he hadn't gone off chasing dragons."**

"Well considering how much Viktor went on about your flying I think you could very well play professional if you wanted to Harry," said Hermione interrupting herself. Ron frowned darkly at the mention of Krum.

"Who's Viktor?" asked a Euan Abercrombie, a Gryffindor first year.

"She's talking about Viktor Krum, she went to the Yule Ball with him last year," gossiped Lavender Brown. Euan gaped at Hermione as a few other first years muttered in awe. Hermione went a little pink and continued reading ignoring Ron's disgruntled comments under his breath that she could just make out from the other side of Harry.

**Perhaps it was because he was now so busy, what with Quidditch practice three evenings a week on top of all his homework, but Harry could hardly believe it when he realized that he'd already been at Hogwarts two months. The castle felt more like home than Privet Drive ever had. **

Professor Dumbledore looked sadly down at the table noticing out of the corner of his eye Minerva look to her right and try to discreetly wipe a tear from her eye. Bless her, she always cared so much for her students, and in many ways Dumbledore felt she was far superior to him.

**His lessons, too, were becoming more and more interesting now that they had mastered the basics.**

**On Halloween morning they woke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors. Even better, Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, something they had all been dying to try since they'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom. **

Professor Flitwick chuckled to himself thinking of how that was always a high point with the first years and the look on their faces when they succeeded was what made it all worth while.

**Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice. Harry's partner was Seamus Finnigan (which was a relief, because Neville had been trying to catch his eye). **

"Sorry, Neville," Harry told him with a sigh wondering how many times he would have to say that.

"It's ok Harry it's in the past," said Neville brightly.

**Ron, however, was to be working with Hermione Granger. It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this. She hadn't spoken to either of them since the day Harry's broomstick had arrived.**

**"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too — never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."**

**It was very difficult. Harry and Seamus swished and flicked, but the feather they were supposed to be sending skyward just lay on the desktop. Seamus got so impatient that he prodded it with his wand and set fire to it — **

The teachers shook their head at Seamus wondering how many things he had managed to set fire to so far in his school career.

**Harry had to put it out with his hat.**

"You still have your hat?" asked a few people incredulously.

"Had," Harry corrected. "I carried it in my bag most of first year then lost it some time ago," remarked Harry.

"We should perhaps remove that item off the required uniform as we do not enforce that part of the dress code," commented McGonagall to Dumbledore. Dumbledore nodded taking into account the mostly hatless crowd.

**Ron, at the next table, wasn't having much more luck.**

**"Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.**

**"You're saying it wrong," Harry heard Hermione snap. "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."**

**"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.**

"OOOOoooo," said the majority of the students in the great hall knowing of Hermione's cleverness.

"Yeah, I know, but I was eleven and found her annoying at the time," said Ron sighing in defeat. Harry and Hermione grinned at him. Harry gave him a pat on the back that seemed to cheer him up.

**Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"**

**Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.**

**"Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"**

**Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class.**

**"It's no wonder no one can stand her," he said to Harry as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor, "she's a nightmare, honestly."**

"Ronald," gasped Ginny in shock her brother would say such a thing. Ron put his head down on the table in shame.

Hermione frowned that had really hurt at the time as she had really wanted to be their friend.

**Someone knocked into Harry as they hurried past him. It was Hermione. Harry caught a glimpse of her face — and was startled to see that she was in tears.**

**"I think she heard you."**

**"So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must've noticed she's got no friends."**

**Hermione didn't turn up for the next class and wasn't seen all afternoon. On their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, Harry and Ron overheard Parvati Patil telling her friend Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls' bathroom and wanted to be left alone. Ron looked still more awkward at this, but a moment later they had entered the Great Hall, where the Halloween decorations put Hermione out of their minds.**

Hermione gave Ron and Harry a raised eyebrow. They sighed.

"Sorry, Hermione," they said together. She gave them a small smile and continued reading.

**A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet.**

**Harry was just helping himself to a baked potato when Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, "Troll — in the dungeons — thought you ought to know."**

"Whoa,""Wicked," said a few of the younger year students who had not heard the story.

**He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.**

**There was an uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.**

**"Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"**

**Percy was in his element.**

**"Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!"**

Percy smiled to himself he had enjoyed being a prefect, in a lot of ways he missed Hogwarts. Everything had been so much simpler when he was here.

**"How could a troll get in?" Harry asked as they climbed the stairs.**

**"Don't ask me, they're supposed to be really stupid," said Ron. "Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke."**

**They passed different groups of people hurrying in different directions. As they jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuffs, Harry suddenly grabbed Ron's arm.**

**"I've just thought — Hermione."**

**"What about her?"**

**"She doesn't know about the troll."**

**Ron bit his lip.**

**"Oh, all right," he snapped. "But Percy'd better not see us."**

"WAIT," thundered McGonagall quite suddenly causing several people to jump startled. The golden trio had stiffened peering over at McGonagall and trying to offer their most innocent faces.

"Hermione Granger you lied to me about why they went looking for you?" asked McGonagall thunderstruck that the eleven year old Hermione Granger would do such a thing.

"Professor, perhaps if I just continue reading you might understand why I did it," said Hermione. A few people looked shocked mostly those outside of the DA as THE Hermione Granger, the number one teachers pet, had just admitted that she had lied to a teacher. McGonagall nodded while Snape snickered had her predicament.

**Ducking down, they joined the Hufflepuffs going the other way, slipped down a deserted side corridor, and hurried off toward the girls' bathroom. They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them.**

**"Percy!" hissed Ron, pulling Harry behind a large stone griffin.**

**Peering around it, however, they saw not Percy but Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view.**

**"What's he doing?" Harry whispered. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"**

**"Search me."**

**Quietly as possible, they crept along the next corridor after Snape's fading footsteps.**

**"He's heading for the third floor," **

A few people looked suspiciously at Snape.

**Harry said, but Ron held up his hand.**

**"Can you smell something?"**

**Harry sniffed and a foul stench reached his nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean.**

Dumbledore chuckled to himself at the accurate description Harry gave for the smell of a troll.

**And then they heard it — a low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Ron pointed — at the end of a passage to the left, something huge was moving toward them. They shrank into the shadows and watched as it emerged into a patch of moonlight.**

**It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite gray, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.**

A few people looked in shock at Harry and Ron for even coming that close to a troll.

**The troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its tiny mind, then slouched slowly into the room.**

**"The keys in the lock," Harry muttered. "We could lock it in."**

"Why can't you just leave it alone and go get a teacher," Lupin groaned as Tonks patted his arm with a smirk. Ron and Harry smiled nervously wondering how Lupin would react when they actually fought it.

**"Good idea," said Ron nervously.**

**They edged toward the open door, mouths dry, praying the troll wasn't about to come out of it. With one great leap, Harry managed to grab the key, slam the door, and lock it.**

**"Yes!"**

**Flushed with their victory, they started to run back up the passage, but as they reached the corner they heard something that made their hearts stop — a high, petrified scream — and it was coming from the chamber they'd just chained up.**

**"Oh, no," said Ron, pale as the Bloody Baron.**

**"It's the girls' bathroom!" Harry gasped.**

Lupin doing a very good impression of how the past-Ron's face had probably looked was shaking his head praying that Harry and Ron were not going to do what he thought they were going to do. McGonagall was pinching the bridge of her nose trying for patience as the other actual Professor (not Umbridge) had verying expressions of surprise and horror at what was about to happen. Dumbledore however looked quite calm and almost seemed amused by the situation.

**"Hermione!" they said together.**

**It was the last thing they wanted to do, but what choice did they have? Wheeling around, they sprinted back to the door and turned the key, fumbling in their panic. Harry pulled the door open and they ran inside.**

**Hermione Granger was shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if she was about to faint. The troll was advancing on her, knocking the sinks off the walls as it went.**

**"Confuse it!" Harry said desperately to Ron, and, seizing a tap, he threw it as hard as he could against the wall.**

"Excellent idea," muttered Kingsley to himself wondering how many other eleven year olds would have come up with that especially in the heat of the moment.

**The troll stopped a few feet from Hermione. It lumbered around, blinking stupidly, to see what had made the noise. Its mean little eyes saw Harry. It hesitated, then made for him instead, lifting its club as it went.**

**"Oy, pea-brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the chamber, and he threw a metal pipe at it. The troll didn't even seem to notice the pipe hitting its shoulder, but it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout toward Ron instead, giving Harry time to run around it.**

**"Come on, run, run!" Harry yelled at Hermione, trying to pull her toward the door, but she couldn't move, she was still flat against the wall, her mouth open with terror.**

Hermione paused reviewing how many more terrifying things she had come up against since befriending Ron and Harry.

**The shouting and the echoes seemed to be driving the troll berserk. It roared again and started toward Ron, who was nearest and had no way to escape.**

**Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid: **

"That's a Gryffindor for you," said Snape with a sigh. A few Slytherin's laughed thinking Snape was making fun of the Gryffindors, but in all honesty in some ways Snape found the Gryffindor bravery something to be admired. Lily had been brave.

**He took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll's neck from behind. The troll couldn't feel Harry hanging there, but even a troll will notice if you stick a long bit of wood up its nose, and Harry's wand had still been in his hand when he'd jumped – it had gone straight up one of the troll's nostrils.**

"EEEeeeeewwww," said the hall in collective agreement.

**Howling with pain, the troll twisted and flailed its club, with Harry clinging on for dear life; any second, the troll was going to rip him off or catch him a terrible blow with the club.**

**Hermione had sunk to the floor in fright; Ron pulled out his own wand — not knowing what he was going to do he heard himself cry the first spell that came into his head: "Wingardium Leviosa!"**

**The club flew suddenly out of the troll's hand, rose high, high up into the air, turned slowly over — and dropped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner's head. **

"Excellent job Mr. Weasely. Very well done," squeaked out Professor Flitwick who had been sitting on the edge of his seat with anticipation.

**The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble.**

**Harry got to his feet. He was shaking and out of breath. Ron was standing there with his wand still raised, staring at what he had done.**

**It was Hermione who spoke first.**

**"Is it — dead?"**

**"I don't think so," said Harry, "I think it's just been knocked out."**

**He bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy gray glue.**

**"Urgh — troll boogers."**

Pavarti and Lavender shuttered as did a few others around the room.

**He wiped it on the troll's trousers.**

**A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the three of them look up. They hadn't realized what a racket they had been making, **

"Well considering how much noise a Troll leg umbrella holder makes," muttered Tonks to the table confusing a few people, but making those who had been to Grimmauld Place laugh in amusement.

**but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars. A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.**

**Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at Ron and Harry. Harry had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white. Hopes of winning fifty points for Gryffindor faded quickly from Harry's mind.**

**"What on earth were you thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice. Harry looked at Ron, who was still standing with his wand in the air. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"**

**Snape gave Harry a swift, piercing look. Harry looked at the floor. He wished Ron would put his wand down.**

**Then a small voice came out of the shadows.**

**"Please, Professor McGonagall — they were looking for me."**

**"Miss Granger!"**

**Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last.**

**"I went looking for the troll because I — I thought I could deal with it on my own — you know, because I've read all about them."**

A few people gasped that was a heck of a lie to tell a teacher. Harry was thinking to himself that that wasn't even their worse. And judging by the annoyed expression on Professor McGonagall's face things were not going to go well when it came to the other little mistruths they told.

**Ron dropped his wand. Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher?**

**"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Harry stuck his wand up its nose and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."**

**Harry and Ron tried to look as though this story wasn't new to them.**

**"Well — in that case…" said Professor McGonagall, staring at the three of them, "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"**

**Hermione hung her head. Harry was speechless. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was, pretending she had, to get them out of trouble. It was as if Snape had started handing out sweets.**

The twins snorted with laughter at the mental image of Snape skipping through the halls with a picnic basket of sweets just tossing them to everyone.

**"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," said Professor McGonagall. "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses."**

**Hermione left.**

**Professor McGonagall turned to Harry and Ron.**

**"Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go."**

**They hurried out of the chamber and didn't speak at all until they had climbed two floors up. It was a relief to be away from the smell of the troll, quite apart from anything else.**

**"We should have gotten more than ten points," Ron grumbled.**

"I shouldn't have given you any," said McGonagall with a glare in Ron's direction. Ron ducked his head exchanging a worried look with Harry.

**"Five, you mean, once she's taken off Hermione's."**

**"Good of her to get us out of trouble like that," Ron admitted. "Mind you, we did save her."**

**"She might not have needed saving if we hadn't locked the thing in with her," Harry reminded him.**

**They had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.**

**"Pig snout," they said and entered.**

**The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was a very embarrassed pause. Then, none of them looking at each other, they all said "Thanks," and hurried off to get plates.**

**But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.**

"That's how you became friends?" asked a Hufflepuff third year in shock. Hermione just grinned at Harry and Ron, who grinned back.

"Well, then I suppose we can get in one more chapter before lunch, would anybody like to volunteer?" asked Dumbledore with a smile above the bewildered murmurs discussing the latest chapter.

"I will Professor," said Neville without hesitation. Dumbledore smiled fondly at Neville as Hermione passed over the book.


End file.
